Painfully Unique
by MurasakiYosei
Summary: Sequel to my story Haruhi's Knight. Allyn Brookestone is an exchange student from America, going to Ouran on a scholarship. Since Allyn is the only black student there, she feels very alone and even starts to hate herself for the way she looks. When her math grades start to slip, she has to be tutored by Kyouya Ootori, a smart boy who thinks she's beautiful the way she is.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Wow, I haven't done this in a while. For those of you who read my story **_**Haruhi's Knights**_**, first of all: Thanks for reading it; Second of all: this isn't really going to tie into that a whole lot. It will be in the same "realm" and they will mention Haruhi's rough past ocasionally, but this fanfic will probably focus mainly on Allyn and her struggles. also, forgive me if things upload weird or something-I haven't done this in a LONG TIME. **

Chapter One

Allyn slumped low in her chair, trying to be as invisible as possiible. A single sheet of paper rested tauntingly in the center of her desk.

A 'D'.

She had gotten a 'D'.

After all of the apparently fruitless hours she had spent studying, Allyn managed to mess up yet another math test and lower her average even more.

_What will Mom and Dad think?_

_They spent so much money paying for my apartment here in Japan, and _this _is how I repay them?_

_With a _'D'_? _

She read and reread the note at the bottom of the test one more time before crumpling it up and shoving it into her denim messeger bag, hoping the words would magically disappear. They didn't. Six terrible words still danced smugly across the bottom of her botched math test.

"See me after class- Mr. Suoh."

As in Headmaster Suoh.

As in the man who had the power to kick her out of her dream school.

Allyn heaved a big sigh and gathered her things. The bell would be ringing any minute and she didn't want to keep the headmaster waiting. Allyn scanned the room, observing her fellow classmates while she waited. They were all thin and rich and beautiful. Three things she would never be. One trio in particular made her cringe with self hate. Hikaru, Kaoru and Haruhi. They basked in the glory of popularity, charm practically oozing from their flawless golden skin. They way they filled entire rooms with laughter and set trends at the drop of a dime-it was like they weren't even _trying_. Haruhi had been at Ouran for only a year and everybody acted like she was the first scholarship student to walk the earth. The way all the girls(and most of the boys too) fawned over her-it's no wonder she get's away with convincing them she's a boy. But Allyn could tell. Haruhi was too pretty to be a boy. Too petite and graceful.

_She's perfect,_ Allyn though for maybe the hundredth time since being moved to Haruhi's math class a year earlier. She'd managed to remain unnoticed for the duration of the semester, but now she was starting to wonder if that was such a good thing. Wearing the same boring clothes everyday. Never getting the chance to truly be herself. Sure it took enough attention of of her to avoid bullying, but it also kept her from having a proper high school social life. Instead of talking on the phone for hours about boys, she just went to school, came home, went to work, slept and went back to school. Her friends back home would be appalled at the drab schedule Allyn inadvertently created for herself.

A breif melody of chimes interupted Allyn's thoughts, signaling the end of class. She rose gracefully from her seat and slowly gathered her things, dreading th conversation she was about to have. Her heart thumped loudly in her ears, threatening to burst from her chest as Allyn tredded nervously down the ornate hallway, her thick , dark braid bouncing on her shoulder with each step.

_I just _know _he's going to kick me out,_ she thought. _This is the third test I've done poorly on-and in a lower_ _level class, no less. I'm a disgrace to the Ouran Academy name-why would he even consider allowing me to stay?_

Knocking on his office door felt like asking the Grim Reaper which scythe he'd like to use to chop off your head. She knew she had to be there, but that didn't make it any less unsettling and scary.

The headmaster's office was fairly large and very well furnished, just like the rest of the school. Mr. Suoh was seated confortably behing his desk, steepling his fingers while he looked over a few documents.

"Come in, come in!" he said once he notice Allyn hovering by the door. "I have some rather troubling news. I believe you may want to sit down for this, Mrs. Brookestone."

_Oh no, _she thought. _I must be leaving Ouran. _

"As you know, you've been accepted here on a scholarship from America because of your extraordinary preformance skills and your emaculate grades."

Allyn nodded along warily.

"You've kept up your end of the bargain by maintaining an A average in _almost _every class for the past two years and I congradulate you for that. But you have yet to showcase any of your gifts for this school. Care to explain?"

"Well..I..." Allyn struggled to find an answer that wasn't too self pitying. It's not like she could tell the headmaster she was afraid of being picked on, or that she felt worthless surrounded by so many radiant people. No. She'd worked too hard to hide her personal problems for it to all be wasted in the blink of an eye. "I've been focusing of my math classes, sir. Math is one of my worst subjects and I was afraid I might lose my scholarship if I failed."

Mr. Suoh clapped his hands, remembering why he called her here in the first place. "That's right, that's right. We certainly can't have you _failing _any classes, young lady. It would be quite the scandal for an Ouran scholarship student to be less than perfect when it comes to grades. Just look at that Fujioka boy. He's been nothing but prime since he's been here-you ought to take a few notes if you want to stay. If you don't bring your math grades up to _at least _a B average, I'm afraid you might have to leave Ouran Academy, and we certainly don't want that."

Allyn felt as if a massive weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She wasn't getting kicked out.

"Yes, sir, I'll try my hardest. Is that all you wanted to talk to me about?"

"There is _one _more thing we need to discuss about your grades. I've assigned you a tutor for your math classes, but he can help you in pretty much anything else if you're still having trouble."

"May I ask who this tutor is?"

"His name," began Mr. Suoh. "Is Kyouya Ootori."

**A/N: That's about all I can write at this hour. My fingers have started to cramp up and my words have stopped making sense. Tell me what you think and if you have any critiques, feel free to tell me. I would hate to be one of those people who writes crap stories, but people give me nice reviews anyway. That's not how you improve. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to Wait Up and BrokenAngels BeautifulDemons for reviewing, it makes me very happy. **

**To answer your question, BrokenAngels BeautifulDemons: Yes, it will be a romance, but it will be a very confusing and kind of sad one. I won't give away too much, though ;)**

**As I reread my chapter after it was published, I noticed a few typos and wanted to edit them out, but I couldn't figure out how. D: Last time I wrote a story, you had the option to edit chapters after they were published, but I guess that has changed. So if anyone wants to be my beta reader, please PM me! A sample of your writing would be greatly appreciated. **

**Also, if anyone would like to design my cover art, that would be greatly appreciated. PM me for a description of Allyn if you need one. **

Allyn stared up at her dull ceiling wishing she could just stop time.

Kyouya Ootori.

She'd seen him around school before, of course, but she had absolutely no idea what kind of person he was. Allyn knew he was the manager of that "Host Club" thing, but that club was based solely on _acting_ flirtatious and chivalrous. So, the knowledge she'd gained about him up to this point was practically must have good grades, but since he's also one of the richest people in the school, he could be paying someone to do the work for him.

_Is he a good teacher?_

Allyn didn't think she could bare sitting through another tedious minute of teachers trying to force knowledge into her. They always started off strong and confident, but once they realized how truly moronic she was at such a simple subject, they all but gave up. Allyn was tired of the frustrated sighs and dirty looks she got when she still answered questions wrong. Truthfully, the only reason she'd been accepted to Ouran in the first place, was because she was tutored for days on end by her mother.

All the other subjects were easy, so Allyn's mother, Sam, focused mainly on the type of math that would be needed on the entrance exam. Sam was the only one Allyn had ever met who was able to get her to understand the jumble of numbers thrown her way. She couldn't explain it, but Sam had such a genuine feel about her, that it made Allyn want to try harder just so she wouldn't be disappointed. All the practice they'd done payed off when the time came to take the exam, and it even helped her for her first semester of math. When the time came for Allyn to start learning something new is when things started to go downhill. None of these foreign teachers really knew Allyn the way Sam did, so they treated her just like any other student. And when that didn't work, they decided to ignore her looks of confusion and desperate pleas for help and hope for the best. It was like they didn't even care if she passed or failed, all that mattered to them was the bragging rights they got when they said that they taught at Ouran.

_Why is math such a difficult subject?_

With a heavy sigh, Allyn launched herself out of bed and made her way to the kitchen for a snack. The rhythmic steps of her bare feet echoed off of the empty halls in her apartment, reminding her just how alone she truly was in this country. While her mother and father sat comfortably at home in America, Allyn was isolated in this matchbox apartment, trying to get by with no friends and no social life.

_Maybe I'd have some friends if I wasn't so ugly_, she thought bitterly to herself as she opened the small refrigerator. It was filled with mostly American food, but after a year of living there, Allyn had adapted to some of Japan's tastes. Packs of sushi mingled with hot dogs and hamburgers left over from late night fast food trips._ I should really stop eating that crap. What would Mom and Dad think?_ She wasn't always the healthiest person, but Allyn tried to limit herself to one fast food trip a month. Her parents were such health nuts, it felt pretty good to rebel and eat some fast food once in a while, but just looking at that crap made Allyn want to go run a few miles.

She finally settled on a few carrot sticks for dinner, remembering the tutoring session she had to face the next day. _At least I won't look like so much of a whale when he sees me. _She decided it'd be best to skip lunch as well, maybe run a few miles at the gym in the morning. She avoided looking at her parent's picture as she slunk back to her room, but Ally couldn't miss the large hallway mirror. The person staring back at her had such disappointment in her dark brown eyes. _Running and starving myself isn't going to do anything about the hideously dark skin all over my body,_ The reflection seemed to say._ Or the fact that my hair can expand to the size of a globe if I didn't braid it up every morning. Or the fact that math makes about as much sense to me as German poetry. _

Allyn stood in front of that mirror for what seemed like hours, wishing she could see someone else. Someone perfect enough to go to Ouran Academy and talk to Kyouya Ootori. She went to bed that night, praying to wake up with a different body. A body with golden skin and a tiny figure. A body with size zero jeans and A cup breasts. A body with a big brain and a kind heart. Without realizing it, Allyn went to bed wishing she could spend at least one day being Haruhi Fujioka.

* * *

Kyouya sat silently in the corner of Music Room 3, typing away on his laptop. The other hosts were scattered about, entertaining the girls with some martial arts moves to go along with today's theme.

_I'm glad Hunny and Mori are already experts in the stuff_, He thought gratefully. _Paying for lessons would have taken a huge chunk out of our club's savings. _

The room was draped in a mish mash of contemporary swatches of fabric similar to the kind you would have seen back when Martial Arts were needed for survival. The ladies practically fell out of their dresses when they walked in and found out what today's theme was. Kyouya smirked at the thoughts that must have been running through their little heads. Seven gorgeous men dressed in loose fitting kimonos, wielding dangerous weapons at each other. It was like taking candy from a baby. A very _rich_ baby.

Their meeting for that afternoon was practically over, only the most devoted of girls still lingered, hoping to become part of the host's "inner circle". Normally Kyouya would have been happy to go straight home, crunch a few numbers, and relax for the evening, but today was a little different. He had been assigned to tutor a girl named Allyn Brookestone. When he first saw the name, he wasn't quite sure if she was even a student at Ouran. How could she be, when he had never heard of her? Further research indicated that she was an exchange student from America; she's been attending Ouran for nearly two years and was in the same grade as Tamaki and himself.

_Then why am I tutoring her in lower level math?_

Kyouya couldn't find out exactly what made her special enough to travel all the way from New York to Japan to attend Ouran, but it had to be something spectacular.

"Kyouya," Tamaki strode confidently over to where Kyouya had set up for tutoring, plopping down next to his best friend. "Remind me again why we're staying later than usual?"

"You wanted to meet the foreign exchange student, remember?"

In truth, Kyouya had planted the idea in Tamaki's head so he wouldn't have to spend too much time alone with this girl. Once the other hosts got word, they insisted they all stay and greet this mathematically challenged American.

"I wonder what kind of cake she likes," Hunny mused thoughtfully. "Haruhi, just go get the whole platter, so she'll have lots of choices."

The twins gathered around the table piled high with math review sheets and formulas.

"I thought you said-" began Hikaru.

"That she was a second year?" finished Kaoru.

Haruhi wandered over, hand in hand with Takashi. "Yeah, we learned this last week. How did she get into Ouran if she can't pass lower level math?"

"From what I've researched, she's exceptional at all of her other subjects, but math seems to be one she can never get right," muttered Kyouya. He was distracted enough trying to come up with some sort of system that would help this pitiful girl, but they were making a lot worse by bombarding him with questions. "Could you all just wait over by the couches while I'm tutoring? Maybe after we're done she can stay for some cake or something."

"Yay!" Tamaki squealed happily. "We get to meet another scholarship student, like Haruhi. I wonder if she's a commoner as well?" He swept Haruhi into his arms and swung her around the spacious room. "Maybe you two can talk about commoner things, like coupons and instant coffee! Maybe she'll break something and be forced to join the host club! Quick, Hikaru, Kaoru!"

"Yes, boss?"

"Set up the most expensive vases we have in front of the door. If we want her to be in our eternal debt, she's going to have to break something of extreme value."

"Yes, sir!"

While the hosts went about their normal antics, Kyouya sat in silent turmoil. Would he _really_ be able to teach this girl? It _was_ his first tutoring position after all. He had only volunteered for it, so he could have another thing to add to any future resumes. If she really was terrible at math, how would he be any different from the countless teachers she'd studied with?

_Not to mention my "icy" demeanor, _he sighed, running a hand through his silky black hair.

Kyouya tried to act oblivious, but it still stung when girls called him cruel or heartless. How was he supposed to show emotion with so many cold, two-faced people in the world? How was he supposed to know who was trustworthy and who wasn't? If there was anything the Ootoris knew, it was not to trust anyone but yourself. If you slip up and build a relationship with the wrong people that was a lot of time and hard work you could never get back.

_Oh well_, he sighed._ I'll just put on my "host charm". She'd have to be a lesbian not to swoon over _that.

A light rapping at the door silenced the room. Thankfully, Haruhi had managed to convince the others not to position any pottery near the entrance. Kyouya was busy nervously straightening the already pristine work space when the colossal double doors creaked slowly open, and a frightened looking girl stuck her head in.

"I'm, uh, looking for Kyoya Ootari?"

**A/N: I know it's kind of short, but that's all I can manage right now. Don't forget about the cover design "contest" thing please! It's really hard to find illustrations of the kind of person I'm imagining. **

**For the record: This story IS NOT based on my life or any of my personal experiences. I just realized how many similarities there are between myself and the main character, but that was purely coincidental. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry about the unorganized updates, but I'm trying to balance You Tube and this fic while trying to enjoy my summer vacation as well. **

**I've changed the plot for this just a **_**tiny **_**bit, so it may seem a little bit confusing and cluster-fuckish, so don't hesitate to ask about things that don't make sense. **

**I'm still looking for some proper cover art, so if any of you have deviant art accounts or something, please please please PM me. **

Allyn hesitantly stepped inside Music Room 3, praying that it would just be her and Kyouya. She would hate to have her stupidity on display for the whole school to see. _And to top it all off, this is the _Host Club!_ They are the richest of the rich. If I embarrass myself in front of one of them, there's no chance of redemption._

Thankfully the room was empty, save for the actual Host club members. It was still too many people for her tastes, but at least she would be spared an hour of intimidating glares from other girls. Haruhi was there, but she didn't really count seeing as how she's so sweet and kind to everyone. Allyn contained a giggle as she observed Haruhi in the middle of the club's silly antics.

_They really are more funny once they stop their little act. _

"You must be Allyn Brookestone, how lovely to finally meet you," Kyouya stood to his full height as he extended a hand for Allyn to shake. He wasn't very tall, but he was still a few inches taller than her. This was a pleasant surprise considering she was taller than the average Japanese male.

The room hushed once they caught sight of Allyn, watching her like a hawk the whole time she set up her books and homework. It was rather unnerving. "Um, yeah, so I've been having a little trouble with the whole 'variables' thing. I think we should work on that first, if you don't mind." She winced as her voice cracked a little on the last word. She didn't have a chance to get some water before their tutoring session, so her throat was insanely dry.

_Maybe I could just not talk during this thing. He won't notice, right?_

Kyouya searched through several stacks of paper, before setting one down in front of her. "That's a review sheet from earlier in the semester. Would you mind solving those problems, so I can see what your issue is?" His polite-ness sounded a little strained, causing Allyn to become even more nervous.

She felt like she was sweating bullets as he stared her down. The numbers began jumping around the page and she started nervously tapping her foot to some imaginary beat, wishing she could listen to some music. _Why am I so nervous? _she thought to herself. _It's not like I _like _this guy or something. I just met him today. _

Allyn struggled on the first problem for a good five minutes before Kyouya let out and exasperated sigh. He snatched the paper out from under her pen and scribbled a few things down before finally breaking the silence.

"I suppose we'll have to start from the _very_ beginning with you," He took off his glasses and gestured at the paper half heartedly, losing every trace of the politeness from earlier. "I've solved the first problem for you. Try the second one."

Allyn gave a slight nod and did as she was told. She studied Kyouya's notes and tried to decipher what kind of method or system he'd used to solve the problem, but a dull throbbing in her head made the numbers and letters go in and out of focus.

_What's going on with me? _she thought incredulously. _I haven't felt like this since I was a little girl._

After a few minutes of no luck, she just settled for copying the structure he used and filled the blanks in with whatever looked right. Allyn felt a little proud of herself when she handed the paper back to him, but that pride was soon shot down by another frustrated sigh and some irritated slashes with a red pen.

"Why did you think to use that formula?" Kyouya asked, leaning over the table so they could both see the paper.

Allyn hesitated. She couldn't tell him she just copied his work-he would think she was just lazy or something. With a slight raise of her shoulders, Allyn shrugged and mumbled something incoherent.

"Okay, this is never going to work out if you don't _speak _to me. How am I supposed to help you, if don't tell me what you're confused about?"

"Well...I..." Allyn struggled to form a proper sentence for this intimidating boy. "I'm having some touble with the variables. It's just hard for me to understand numbers and letters all in the same place."

Kyouya clenched his teeth and tried his best to be calm and patient, but Allyn could see through his facade."Yes, yes, I _know _that. You've already _said _that. Is there anything more specific than just _variables? _Is it formulas, or just a certain type of equation that throws you off?"

It was really hard for Allyn to concentrate while he was speaking to her in such a degrading way. She felt like a child who'd just been banished to the corner of a room with a giant "Dunce" cap on her head.

"I-uh-I guess I'm just really bad at everything. I've never been any good at math, sorry."

Kyouya and Allyn sat in an uncomfortable silence for a while, each wishing that the clock would just chime 4:00, so they could go to their respective homes. The other hosts goofed off in priveledged bliss on some nearby couches. Looking up, Allyn tried to stifle a giggle, as the Hitachiins embarrassed Mori and Haruhi for sitting so closely to each other. Mori's face was a deep shade of scarlet and Haruhi's was coming close.

"Is something funny?" Kyouya muttered. A glare on his glasses shielded his dark eyes from her while he tapped his fingers on the table menacingly.

Allyn promptly returned her focus to the papers in front of her, trying to avoid that devilish gaze. "I-um-uh-maybe if the letters stood for something, I could understand it a little better?" The last syllable of her sentence turned up slightly, as if she wasn't sure if she had actually just spoken.

Kyouya sighed again, but this time it was a sigh of relief. "_Finally_, you've given me something to work with."

The last half hour of tutoring continued more smoothly than the first. Allyn was surprised to have actually _learned _something at the end of it. As they gathered their books and things, Allyn let the tinniest semblance of a smile grace her lips.

_This might acually work out, _she thought, happily, turning her attention to Kyouya. "Thanks for all of your help. I suppose I'll see you tomorrow."

Allyn was a few steps away from the big double doors, when a trio of disappointed voices sounded behind her.

"You're not staying?"

She pivoted slowly on her left foot and came face to face with Tamaki, Hikaru and Kaoru. They all looked expectantly at her, their "host" charm turned to full volume. Allyn took a step back in shock. It was rare for _one _boy to pay attention to her let alone _three._

"We would really love to get to know you, Princess," Tamaki took her mocha colored hand in his own and kissed the back of it.

The action was so foreign and surprising that Allyn actually recoiled in shock. "No no no. I need to head home before it get's dark. But-uh- thanks for the offer," she slid behind the door (leaving just enough space for _one _person to get through) and power walked down the elegant halls of Ouran Academy. Her warm cheeks burned slightly when they reached the crisp spring air outside.

_If black people could blush, I'd be the color of a tomato right now._

* * *

"I wonder why she didn't stay," mumbled Tamaki as he slunk back over to the couches. Each of the hosts began gathering their belongings, ready to head home. Mori, Haruhi and Hunny were the first to leave and the Hitachiins soon followed. Kyouya, however hovered behind, so he could have a little chat with the club's king.

"Tamaki?" he asked, stopping his best friend at the door. "Can I ask you a question?"

Tamaki's normally happy face grew somber at Kyouya's request. "Of course, Kyouya. We are best friend's after all. Is it something bad?"

"No no, not bad...just confusing."

The slender blond sat patiently, waiting for Kyouya to continue.

"Well," Kyouya cleared his throat. "Do you ever get...distracted...when you're around certain people? Do they ever make you act differently?"

"Well, yeah!" Laughed Tamaki. "Everybody does. Do you mind telling me who this mysterious person could be?"

"It's nobody imprtant." Kyouya joined the others outside and headed for his limo. "See you all tomorrow."

* * *

The Ootori estate was as eerily desolate as ever. The sound of Kyouya's slender fingers tapping keyboard keys practically echoed up and down the corriders. He didn't mind, though. It just meant less people to disturb him while he was working. Or, at least, _trying _to work.

Images of the angel he'd tutored earlier kept flashing to the front of his brain. The way her smooth, chocolatey skin glowed in the harsh florescent lights. She didn't get washed out like the majority of the people at Ouran, no, she practically radiated warmth and tenderness. He was already nervous, but the way her slim, black jeans hugged her tiny waist made Kyouya forget any type of plans he had for her lesson. Each time he tried to remember, she'd lean onto the table, straining the already hardworking buttons on her white shirt. It _really _didn't help that she wore a tight fitting black vest. He'd counted three large,ashen buttons that stopped just beneath her chest. Kyouya tried telling himself that it wasn't her fault that she couldn't afford the academy's uniforms, but that still didn't help. He prayed that she would come in the next day in one of those unflatteringly yellow mashmallow dresses, so he could get some actual work done. He tried imagining her that way and yelled in frustration.

_She could make a _trash bag _look good if she wanted to. _

Yes, it was _very _hard for Kyouya to stay in character for the first half hour. He noticed how harsh he'd sounded when he spoke to her-and was truly sorry for it-but he just _couldn't _get his brain to focus on the right things. It was like a godsend when she'd finally given him something to work with her on. He didn't know how much longer he would last without having any numbers to occupy his brain instead of those trivial emotions. If it weren't for his pride, Kyouya would probably have asked the headmaster to give him another student to tutor the very second the clock struck four.

_Why can't I get that damned girl out of my mind? _He decided to give up on trying to concentrate on the club's finances, but instead devise a plan to get rid of such a beautiful distraction. Kyouya paced around the colossal bedroom in long strides, a worried hand running through his dark hair. The option of quitting the tutoring session was a definite 'no'. And so was having her switched out for another student. He couldn't have her sit behind a wall or screen of some sort-that would make it impossible for him to teach her anything.

_What would Suoh do?_

The question bounced around in his head for a few minutes, before Kyouya stopped abruptly, a fist pounded into his open palm.

It was genius. Why hadn't he thought of it before? Kyouya remembered the way his head cleared when he'd kissed Haruhi all those months ago. All of the space she had previously taken up inside his brain was cleared the moments their lips met. He would just have to do the same with Allyn. Only this time he wouldn't fail. He wouldn't let her slip away, like he did with Haruhi.

_I must make her mine. _


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So far I've been getting a lot of good reviews which is wonderful! It really has been motivating me to write more, but I haven't really had as much time as I would've liked. **

**I would also love you forever and ever if you went over to my you tube channel and hit subscribe ;D my channel name is VlogFuchsia and I make videos on a weekly basis. **

**My cover art contest is still going on, but if nobody volunteers soon, I might just ask a friend to do it(or draw it myself, but that'll be a nightmare). **

Walking home from school was no different from any other day. Allyn kept her head down and made sure to avoid any suspicious looking people so she could just get home and grab a quick bite to eat before heading off to work. Thoughts of the Host Club swam through her mind with each long stride she took. The way they laughed and joked like they were the happiest people in the world. Each one of them was doing their own thing, but somehow they all connected and even though Kyouya was sitting a few tables away, tutoring Allyn, she could tell he had a special bond with each of them. A ghost of a smile would ease its way through the mask he put on when something silly was going on behind him. It was almost as if he didn't realize how much they affected him, but Allyn could tell. And she would give anything to be part of something that magical.

_But I'm not, so I need to just suck it up and get over it,_ Allyn thought, heaving a big sigh and slouching her shoulders a little more. Tiny cars raced past her while she made her way home through the swarms of people. Allyn's torso soared above most of the people around her, something she was very used to. Something she was _not _used to were the deep rumbles erupting from her stomach. Her choice to neglect lunch that day was finally kicking in. Thankfully, it was a noisy street so nobody in her immediate vicinity could hear it.

_That's the last time I try starving myself for some boy. _Allyn had seen girls around her fall victim to anorexia, so she was no stranger to it's side effects. Her parents always stressed how important it was to eat healthy and excercise at a healthy pace, so Allyn's brief bout of starvation was rather embarrassing. That familiar throbbing in her head returned when she started thinking of the way she ate while she was at the orphanage. Nobody cared what or how little any of the children ate, so many of the kids there were very skinny and malnutritioned. Allyn was adopted at age four, so her parents had a slight struggle when teaching her to eat until she was absolutely full instead of taking one bite and leaving the table.

Allyn remembered many visits to a child psychiatrist, but nobody ever told her if her poor eating habits were from some kind of mental problem or if she was just poorly educated on the subject, so she chose to ignore those memories most of the time. Every once in a while, though, those memories would creep back up on her. The smell of leather flooded her nostrils when she sat in the large recliner, her small frame practically disappearing in it's cushions. The psychiatrist always looked at her with the same sad blue eyes. After each meeting, the adults would huddle together and speak in hushed tones, occasionally casting a pitying look at Allyn. The meetings finally stopped when Allyn turned six, but her parents went to a lot of work to get her to eat they way a growing girl should.

_They would be _so _disappointed in me for acting that way. _Allyn opened the door to an empty apartment as usual, but today something was a little different. A pale lavender envelope was crushed under her ballet flat clad foot. The mail man didn't come until 3:30, so it must have been delivered that day. Picking it up, Allyn was surprised at the elegence of it. _I don't usually get mail, _she thought, curiously as she slid a kitchen knife across the top of the letter.

_Dear Allyn,_

_We've noticed that you've recently been assigned a tutor. While this information alone is nothing for us to be concerned with, we are very concerned with _who _you've been assigned as a tutor. Kyouya Ootori. _

_He has been the object of our love for many years now and we strongly suggest that you __**back off. **__You are nothing but a fat, lazy, black commoner and you __**do not **__deserve one second of his attention, let alone one hour. If you do not go to Headmaster Suoh's office first thing tommorow morning, we assure you this will not be the last letter you recieve. If you still neglect to follow our orders, we may have to pay you a little __**visit. **_

_Signed- The Kyouya Ootori Official Fan Club. _

Allyn's deep brown eyes were growing steadily wider as she read and reread the letter. _Is this some kind of _threat_?_

_Are they _threatening _me because Kyouya decided to become a tutor. Isn't that something they should be talking to _him _about? _

Filled with a newfound rage, Allyn shoved the letter into a vacant drawer and stalked over to her small refrigerator, looking for a snack before she had to go to work. _What kind of psychos would start a whole club just because they think some guy is cute? _ Allyn yanked on her work uniform in between bites of celery and peanut butter, fuming over the kind of crazy girls that lived in Japan._Wouldn't it make more sense for them to just ask him out or something so they could have him all to themselves?_ Her life seemed like something straight out of the silly mangas she and her friends used to read.

_I didn't know this kind of stuff was _real.

A quiet buzzing from her phone interupted Allyn's thoughts. "Hello?"

"I'm calling to inform you of the new estate you'll be working at for the next couple of weeks." It was her boss, Naka.

"Yes?" Allyn waited on the other line with baited breath. _Please don't be someone from Ouran. Please don't be someone from Ouran._

"Are you familiar with the Ootori family?"

Allyn's stomach flip flopped around inside of her. "Yes, ma'am."

"You will be working there temporarily as the youngest son's personal maid for as long as he sees fit. The last maid he had neglected to fold his clothes correctly and was fired after a few days, so I suggest you work on that first." Naka's elderly voice was a strict as ever, striking fear into Allyn's heart. There was no way she could defy her, but the thought of working for someone her own age was sickening.

"Yes ma'am, I will. Will today be my last day at the Nagasumi estate?"

"Yes, that is correct. You will start at the Ootori estate right after your classes tomorrow. Have a nice evening."

Allyn hung up the phone and flopped onto her bed. _Could my day get any worse?_

* * *

Kyouya walked into English the next morning with a new found confidence. Today was the day. He would convince Allyn to stay after tutoring for a while and have tea and cake with the other hosts and himself. When she finished her tea he would escort her to the kitchen politley and make his move. There was no way she would be able to resist such a flawless plan.

_Though, I should probably take it a bit more slowly than I did with Haruhi. _

Tamaki walked in with Kyouya and was immediately bombarded by girls. "Calm down, calm down," He laughed. "We have to get to our seats."

Soft morning light streamed through the open windows, casting a spotlight on a familiar face.

_Allyn? _Kyouya looked incredulously at the sleepy eyed girl resting her head on a desk in the far right corner of the room. She was just as beautiful as yesterday if not more so. _How long has she been in my english class? _

Tamaki seemed to be thinking the same thing as he stopped flirting with the girls and cast his gaze in Allyn's direction. His violet eyes grew wide and a grin spread across his face. "Allyn! How long have you been in our class?"

Allyn jerked her head off of her desk only to meet the eyes of several dozen students looking at her. They were all very surprised, which was pretty reasonable considering what great lenghts Allyn had gone to to remain unnoticed all year. To think that all her hard work went to waste because of a tutoring session made her want to crawl under a rock. But she didn't. Instead, she gave a meek wave in Kyouya and Tamaki's general direction before opening a textbook and burying her nose in it.

Tamaki took that as an invitaion to come sit next to her. "You must have a wonderful grade in this class, since you're from America and all. Can you say something to me in English? Can you tell me what my name would be in English? The name I chose for this class was Timothy bcause it sounds kind of close to Tamaki. I heard that Timothy can sometimes be shortened to just 'Tim' in America. What is that called? You know, when they shorten your name to something else? Was it 'nock numes'? Or 'Neck flames? Or-"

"Nick names. They're called nick names and they are given to you by your close friends or family," Allyn's voice was barely above a whisper. She toyed nervously with the end of her braid and still neglected to look either boy in the eye as she spoke, but her tone wasn't that of annoyance. She sounded more frightened than anything else.

_But what could she possibly have to be afraid of? _Kyouya sat in the desk next to hers, his chin resting in his hand. _It couldn't be us...could it?_ Kyouya watched in bemused curiousity as Tamaki flooded her with questions. He really could make friends with anybody if he tried. Allyn's subtle attempts at ending the conversation were wasted on that blissfully idiotic blond. She kept her wide eyed gaze on the window and dogded each of Tamaki's attempts at cuddling with her they way he does with Haruhi. Allyn didn't flinch they way Haruhi used to, but she definitely wasn't going to let Tamaki touch her any time soon. Kyouya gazed on curiously, ignoring the lesson going on in the front of the class.

_No. Fear would be impossible, Tamaki wouldn't hurt a fly._ Justto prove just how silly it was to think Allyn was fearful of Tamaki and himself, Kyouya reached out and brushed a few stray hairs behind her ear. Her hair was suprisingly soft given the tightly curled texture. Kyouya's hand lingered for a few more moments than necessary, his fingertips following the direction her hair went until he reached the thick braid resting on her shoulder. Fly away curls poked out from every crevice of the plait, making it appear a lot messier than most of the girls at Ouran would approve of, but each strand glowed in the warm morning light, framing Allyn's face in a halo of light brown.

"Why do you let Kyouya touch you and not me?" Tamaki's sad voice brought Kyouya back down to Earth. He removed his hand from Allyn's hair and started working on some imaginary worksheet, hiding his burning face behind a textbook.

_What was I thinking? If Suoh hadn't said anything, I probably would have kissed her right then and there, ruining all the work I put in to planning for this afternoon. _

Allyn seemed just as shocked when Tamaki mentioned the intimate way Kyouya carresed her hair. His hand had felt so natural, she hadn't even noticed he was touching her. Kyouya knew there was no way she would tell Tamaki something like that, so she came up with some other excuse before bolting out of the door at the sound of the second period bell. Kyouya's heart fluttered in his chest as he watched Allyn hurry down the crowded hall.

* * *

The door to the third music room loomed tauntingly in front of Allyn. Why did it have to be 3:00 already? And why did she have to be assigned to work for Kyouya Ootori of all people? There were so many rich families in Japan and she just had to be assigned to _him. _

_To make matters worse, he got me all confused with the way he was acting this morning. _A jumble of emotions coursed through her, as Allyn replayed the morning's events in her head. The way he looked at her the whole class period, like she was more important to him than grades. But that was impossible. Nothing was more important to Kyouya Ootori than something that would benefit him or his future and Allyn certainly couldn't do those things. _But his hand felt so nice in my hair. He was so gentle-almost like a different person. _

"You've been standing in front of our door for quite a while," Allyn jumped at the sound of the Hitachiin's voices. They were so synchronized it was almost as if they were the same person.

"Yeah, well, I -uh-"

"Save it," Hikaru slithered his arm around Allyn's waist and began whispering into her ear.

Kaoru soon followed suit and was tethered to her other side. "We know what's got you so worked up."

"You have a crush on Kyouya, don't you?" They whispered in her ears at the same time, their hot breath sending chills down Allyn's spine.

"Th-that's ridiculous, where did you hear a thing like that?" But even as she said the words, Allyn knew they weren't true. She may not have known it before then, but the twins opened her eyes.

_I like Kyouya. _

_I _like _like Kyouya. _

The twins didn't bat an eyelash at Allyn's blatant denial. "Well, regardless of what you say, the question isn't if you _like _Kyouya-sempai," started Hikaru.

"We really want to know what you're going to _do _about your feelings for Kyouya-sempai," finished Kaoru.

"Will you just sit around and become part of his fan club, never satisfying the ache you have for him in your heart?"

"Or will you confess your love after he's finished tutoring you today?"

They both relinquished their grasps around her and were walking slowly towards the club room, leaving Allyn to stew in her emotions.

**A/N: I'm trying to work on making the chapters longer, so I hope this will suffice. **

**Don't forget about the cover art contest and feel free to support me on you tube. **

**Thanks for reading. :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So, I've come to the conclusion that if you haven't read my other story, **_**Haruh's Knight, **_**you probably should before you continue reading this one. It's not **_**totally **_**necessary if you're good at context clues, but if you want to know a little more about the little side comments and why Mori and Haruhi are dating, you should go check it out. Haruhi is a little OOC in Haruhi's Knight and I don't want people to get all confused and act like I'm just bringing stuff in out of nowhere and not elaborating. Also, since this story is the sequel to **_**Haruhi's Knight,**_** it kind of picks up where that one left off. I've been having a little trouble deciding what point in time this is, and I'm just gonna say it's after their trip to the water park, but before their trip to the beach. I haven't read the manga, so if this story ends up going past the ending point in the anime, I'll just make up some stuff until it's ready to end. **

**That being said, please enjoy this chapter. **

Kyouya went about the day's tutoring the same way he did the day before, but Allyn's silence made him increasingly more agitated and nervous about his plans. He tried his best to keep a smile on whenever possible, but this girl was so impossibly mute, he couldn't help but let out his feelings in _some _way. The fact that she was as cute as a button didn't help matters either. Kyouya tried to contain a smile whenever her dark eyebrows bunched up in confusion or when her eyes lit up when she got something right. Allyn still wore the same ill-fitting top as she did yesterday, distracting Kyouya from the lesson plans spread about the table, but Kyouya managed to focus on her face a little more instead of letting his eyes wander.

_I'll have to buy her a new one once we start dating, _he thought absentmindedly while correcting a few of the math problems Allyn had just done. _Woah. When did I ever start thinking about _dating_? My plan was just to kiss her so I could get rid of the distractions and then we would go back to tutor and pupil...right?_

The more Kyouya thought about it, the more he realized how silly his original plan was. How did he ever expect their relationship to go back to normal after they'd kissed? Allyn might feel so awkward about it, she could change tutors-then all of his time spent thinking about her would go to waste. And wasting _that _much time was not something any of the Ootori's liked to do.

Kyouya gazed down at Allyn while she copied some formulas into her notebook. _I guess it wouldn't be _too _distracting having a girlfriend. It could be a learning experience. Maybe it'll teach me how to be more likeable in future business ventures, _Kyouya's thoughts were interupted by the tingling sensation of Allyn's long legs brushing against his. _It might also be really fun having a girlfriend. I haven't had a lot of fun in the past few months, maybe I deserve it. _

"Kyouya?" Allyn was staring expectantly into Kyouya's dark grey eyes. "Did you hear me?"

"Oh, um, no actually. Can you repeat the question?" Kyouya lifted his head from his hands and looked at the sheet she was currently writing on.

"I was wondering if I got this problem right? I finished it pretty quickly, so I'm a little worried it might be wrong." Allyn's voice was still timid and shy, and she still neglected to actually look_ at _ Kyouya rather than looking through him. He hoped that would change this afternoon.

* * *

The clocked ticked just as slowly as before, but 4:00 finally came. "So, Allyn," Kyouya stood in front of the slender girl, blocking her path to the door. "Would you care for some tea?"

Allyn tried fruitlessly to walk around Kyouya, but more hosts kept appearing. Finally she slumped her shoulders and sat her bags back on the ground. "I suppose _one _cup of tea wouldn't hurt."

_But then I _really _need to get to work. I would want "my new boss" to get all creeped out if he thinks I'm following him home. _

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Hikaru and Kaoru resumed the positions they had before and steered Allyn to the couch, talking the whole way.

"So what kind of house did you live in back in America?" asked Kaoru.

Hikaru took her by the waist and sat her down in one of the large armchairs in the center of the room."Was it big and fancy?"

"Uh, no. It was kind of average," The rest of the hosts sat eagerly in the couches around her, each one with a smile on their face. Even Kyouya sat cheerfully to her left.

Haruhi walked gracefully up to Allyn with a tray in her hands. "Would you like any tea or cake?"

Allyn gave a slight nod and watched as Haruhi went to work, mentally taking notes incase she was asked by Kyouya to pour any tea.

Haruhi wore a beautiful smile and her slender hands were graceful as she poured the tea. Allyn looked down at her own dark hands. Despite the carefully painted long, red fingernails they seemed large and manly compared to Haruhi's.

"So, Allyn," Tamaki began as he stretched theatrically on the plush couch. "I bet you didn't know this, but our little Haruhi is from America as well!" **(A/N: See, it's one of those things that I wrote about in my other story. I told you Haruhi was kind of OOC.) **

Allyn's brown eyes grew wide in surprise. "She is? But, Haruhi, your Japanese sounds very native."

A childish giggle floated up from behind Allyn's chair. "No it doesn't, silly! It probably sounds that way to _you _because you haven't been here as long as she has. Haru-chan has little bit of an accent, just like you do!" Hunny jumped up and sat on one of the chair's large armrests. "Oh, yeah! How long _have _you been here, Ally-chan? Haru-chan's been here a whole year already!"

"Not quite a year, Hunny-sempai. It will be a year when school starts back up after summer break," Haruhi finished pouring everyone's tea and resumed her spot next to Mori.

_Oh wow, I've been here for nearly two years and my Japanese still sucks. She must be a lot smarter than I thought._

"You never answered the question, Allyn," Kyouya was spoke up from behind a little black book. He had a pen in his other hand, ready to begin writing. "How long have you lived in Japan?"

Allyn was tempted to make up some fake number(something lower than a year), but she realized it might cause her a bit of trouble in the future if these guys actually wanted to stay around her for that long. "My parents sent me here almost two years ago. They're still in New York with the rest of my friends and family," Allyn made sure to speak as clearly as she could, but it was still no match for Haruhi's flawless diction. She just hoped Kyouya couldn't tell how hard she was trying. By the looks of that little smirk on his face, he could.

Besides Kyouya, all of the hosts seemed shocked at Allyn's answer. Especially Tamaki.

"How could I have gone _two whole years_ without noticing such a radiant creature like you? Have you been in my class the entire time?"

Allyn gave a slight nod and kept her eyes on the ground. "I've been in most of them, yes. Just not math."

Tamaki clutched his chest before doubling over on the floor in fake pain. "Please, fair maiden," he said reaching out to rest a hand on Allyn's knee. "Will you ever forgive me for the crimes I've commited? No lady should go unnoticed for so long in her_ own _school!"

"No no-please don't do that!" Allyn squeaked, gently removing Tamaki's hand. "It's quite alright, I tend to be a little anti-social so it's really all my fault."

"How long have you been in _our _class, Allyn-sempai?" Hikaru asked. Allyn was a little surprised that he used the Japanese upperclassman title on her, but she recovered quickly.

_I guess I _am_ still technically his sempai, even though I've been moved to his math class. _

"I've-uh-only been in your class for one year, Hikaru. I-um-never really spoke, so it's not surprising that you didn't notice me," Allyn checked the time on the wall before gulping down her tea and rising from her seat. "It's time for me to head to work; what should I do with my dishes?"

Kyouya spoke up, closing his book. "Just put them in the kitchen-I'll show you where it is." He rested his hand lightly on the small of Allyn's back and guided her across the room with a smile.

"But we're not done talking!" called Hunny, but the two ignored him.

The kitchen was very small with only one door, so Allyn found the sink pretty quickly and sat her cup and untouched cake beside it. "I guess I'll be going now. Thanks for the tea."

She tried to walk briskly for the exit, but Kyouya stood in her path yet again. "Going so soon? But we've only just got here." He took long, confident strides towards her, never wavering and never losing the sexy smile that danced on his lips. Having backed Allyn into a corner, Kyouya took the opportunity to put a strong hand on the wall on either side of her face, trapping her. "Let's chat."

_What's going on with him? _Allyn's heart was pounding against her chest, the speedy 'thump thump' filling her ears. Her hands felt clammy as she placed them on Kyouya's chest to keep him from coming any closer. _What's going on with _me_?_

"What's wrong, Allyn?" Kyouya smirked, playfully as he leaned even closer and whispered in Allyn's ear. "Are you shy?"

Kyouya's warm breath tickled her nose and sent chills down her spine. Part of her wanted to take his gorgeous face in her hands and close the distance between them, but the rational part of her knew it would be a mistake to get involved with your employer. No matter how cute he was. Or how tall and smart and mysterious.

"Um, no, that's not it I just-" Allyn was silenced by a pair of soft, thin lips. A rush of electricity sent chills down her spine and filled her head with a rose colored fog. Her eyes remained wide open the entire time, but everything around her seemed to melt into a soft pink haze. The kiss was so surprising, she inhaled sharply through her nose, popping the first three buttons on her shirt. "Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed as they bounced off of Kyouya's chest.

He didn't seem to mind, though. In fact, he laughed-a thing she'd never heard him do until now. "Did you like my kissing that much?"

"No-I mean yes, but you surprised me!"

"Well, why don't you wear a proper fitting shirt? It can be very distracting you know..."

Allyn crossed her arms with a huff. "The shirt fit at the _beginning _of the year! I just never got around to buying a new one. And why don't _you_ stop surprising people with kisses?"

"Well, I think you _have _to get a new one now. I'll buy one for you," Kyouya was still smiling as he picked the small buttons up off of the floor. "But for right now, let's get Haruhi to sew these back on. I'm sure you wouldn't want to go outside looking like _that_."

Allyn glanced down at her exposed chest and spun around on her heel, facing the wall. Her bra wasn't showing, but if she didn't watch out, it might. _I could just _die _right now. First Kyouya kisses me, now Haruhi will have to-Gah! I can't even think about it!_ Allyn held her shirt together with one hand as she slunk back into the main room behind Kyouya.

"What took you guys so long?" Hikaru and the other hosts surrounded the guilty party, each one asking too many questions to answer at one time.

"Calm down, everyone," Kyouya hushed, as nonchalantly as ever. "A few buttons seemed to have snapped off of Allyn's shirt. Seeing as how she mentioned going to work later, I figured Haruhi should fix them so she can be on her way."

With that, he dropped the buttons in Haruhi's hand before walking calmly over to his laptop.

Haruhi tapped Allyn on the shoulder and gestured to the couches they'd been sitting at earlier. "Since you're in a hurry, I'll sew them right on, sempai. I don't think you have any time to find a replacement shirt and change clothes."

"Great," muttered Allyn, sarcastically.

_This may officially be the most awkward five minutes of my life. _Allyn sat nervously on the edge of the couch, trying to look everywhere except at one of the Hosts. Mori's face was a very dark shade of scarlet, along with Tamaki's, but the twins seemed to be enjoying every minute of it. Hunny and Haruhi were none the wiser and Kyouya sat in the corner, typing away as if nothing had happened between them. _How can he just kiss me like that and not say anything? _Allyn was tempted to voice her question, but thought better of it and went back to staring at the ceiling, wishing Haruhi could just sew faster. _And what did he mean about buying me a new shirt? There's no way I can come back here!_

"So, Ally-chan, where do you work?" Hunny plopped right onto Allyn's lap and stared expectantly into her eyes. "Is it in a restaurant or a super market or...where else can people work?"

Hikaru and Kaoru grinned mischevously at that last question. "Well, Hunny-sempai, beautiful women such as Allyn-sempai can have _lot's _of different jobs."

"Like what?"

Allyn had a feeling she knew where this was going and spoke up before the twins had a chance to say anything more. "I work for people like you guys."

"People like us?" Tamaki repeated. "What do you mean?"

"I'm-uh-I'm a maid. I clean houses and cater to rich people like you. Pretty lame, huh?" Allyn tried to laugh off her embarrassment, but she could feel heat rush to her cheeks anyway.

"I don't think it's stupid," Haruhi finally spoke up, the needle in her hand still moving rhythmatically through the fabric of Allyn's white shirt. "I'm lucky enough to have my father to depend on, but you live all alone, don't you, sempai? Even if your parents send you some money every once in a while, I'm sure it can be hard to make ends meet. Don't be ashamed of where you work. You should be proud that you're able to provide for yourself and manage your schoolwork at the same time."

Haruhi's kind words seemed to hang in the air, putting a smile of each of the host's faces. _I can see why they all care about her so much, _Allyn thought as she gazed at Haruhi's big brown eyes. _Even though she barely said anything, I feel a certain contentment with her words. I'm almost proud to say I work as a maid now. Almost. _

Tamaki was the first to break the silence with his cheerfully loud voice. "Yeah, I bet it must be fun working as a maid! I had the coolest one when I was little. She would alway sneak me cookies after dinner and read me stories when my father wa away! I bet you do those sorts of things for the person you work for, right Allyn?"

"Well actually, the person I work for now is about our age, so those kinds of things would be really silly," Allyn actually laughed out loud at the thought of reading Kyouya a bedtime story and feeding him secret cookies.

"I'm all done, sempai. You can go to work now," Haruhi was packing up her tiny sewing kit and scooting back to her seat beside Mori.

"Thanks a lot!" Allyn said, removing Hunny from her lap and standing up. "I guess I'll be on my way, thanks for the tea, I'll see you all tomorrow."

_Maybe I'll make it out of here without one of them asking..._

Allyn walked swiftly to the door, her denim messanger bag bouncing against her hip. The smaller company bag that held her maid's uniform was swinging back and forth in her left hand. She kept her eyes on the big double doors in front of her and had just grabbed one of the handles when Tamaki's voice called out behind her.

"Wait! You never told us who you're working for."

_Crap, he asked. _

"Well..." Allyn stalled, creaking the door open and sliding the left half of her body out of the room. "His name is Kyouya Ootori, bye!" Allyn rushed the words out of her mouth in one breath before escaping down the hall.

**A/N: Yay! They finally kissed. This is my final time saying it, but I **_**really **_**think you should go read Haruhi's Knight before I upload the next chapter. You don't even have to review, I just want you to understand the story in full before you continue. **

**As you can see, I tried to incorporate some of Haruhi's "words of wisdom" and failed miserably. **

**My cover design contest is still open and I would really appreciated it if you came over and suported my you tube channel(VlogFuchsia).**

**Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So, I started rewatching Avatar:The Last Airbender recently and that led to me reading a bunch of Zutara fanfiction and **_**that **_**led to me obsessing over an idea I have for a Zutara fanfiction. I might just make it an original story since the Katara I have in mind is **_**way **_**OOC. I really****want to work on that, but I promised myself I wouldn't work on anything else until this fic is fin(see what I did there?). **

**Thanks for all of the good reviews and Happy Fourth of July for you American readers! I'm going to warn you: I plan on changing my writing style just a **_**teensy **_**bit, but hopefully it will change for the better. **

**I probably won't be able to upload chapters as frequently as I would like for a while because my brother recently had back surgery and is sort of bedridden which means I have to let him use my laptop 24/7. I'm going to try and work onb chapters on Google Docs, so maybe you'll have an avalanche of new chapters in a few weeks. :D**

**Please enjoy this chapter! It was really fun and cute to write.**

Allyn ran down the empty hallways as if her life depended on it. Wind raced past her ears, blocking out any other noise around her.

_I just have to get home. I just have to get home. I jus-_

"Shit," Allyn skidded to a halt at the glass doors in the front of the school.

Rain. On the _one _day she needed to make a quick escape, it was raining. A shock of white lighting danced across the sky, practically taunting Allyn as she stood helplessly in front of the doors. She had no umbrella and no fancy limo waiting in the parking lot to escort her home, so she was screwed. Upon further inspection, Allyn noticed a small awning shielding a small space from the rain. _I can't just wait inside the school all afternoon, _she thought, stepping outside. The air was thick with humidity and a warm spring breeze coaxed the rain into her face. She couldn't afford to wait all evening for the rain to let up and she _certainly _couldn't step into the storm wearing a white shirt. Allyn hardly managed to keep herself covered without any elements battling against her, but a ten minute walk home would make her shirt practically transparent. _When I asked if my day could get worse, this is _not _what I meant. _

Allyn's hands shook with nervous anticipation as she retrieved her headphones from her bag. If she was going to be here for a while, she might as well enjoy herself.

Heavy basses and strong vocals lulled Allyn's wide eyes shut and-for a moment-she felt like she was the only person on the planet. Delicate harmonies wove their way into her body, replacing all of her worldy problems with sweet, musical bliss. Had it not been for the rain, Allyn would have danced all the way home. She wouldn't bother to go into work-or even school-as long as she could dance forever, never letting the music stop. When she was dancing, looks and social standing didn't matter; nothing mattered once she took the first step.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself."

Allyn's eyes slowly open and she looked around for a minute, forgeting why she was still at school. A lazy smile still occupied her full lips as she straightened her posture and turned in the direction of the voice. Kyouya! What was he doing there? _Oh crap, was I singing out loud again? How much did he see?_

"Um, shouldn't you be with the Host Club?"

Kyouya laughed at her confusion and gestured behind him. The rest of the club members were walking down the hall a few yards away."I _am _with the Host Club. Shouldn't you be on your way to work? You left the club room almost twenty minutes ago."

_Oh no! Did I leave _that _long ago? He probably thinks I just made an excuse not to hang out with them anymore. _"Oh, um you know..." _Think of an excuse! _"I don't have a car and stuff. And my shirt is really white. And you know, most of the time I walk. So the-um-rain is really inconvinient today...so...yeah." Great. Now she sounded even dumber than usual. Another bolt of lightning flashed and a booming clap of thunder soon followed. For whatever reason, the rest of the Hosts were huddled in the darkened corridor. They all seemed to be talking to someone, but Allyn couldn't see who.

"Are they alright?"

Allyn made a move to go help them, but Kyouya stood in front of the doors. He seemed to have a habit of doing that. "They'll be fine. Now what was it you were saying about the car? Don't you have someone to escort you home?"

"Well, most of the time I walk home, but since I have to go to work today, I was going to go to the bus stop and that's pretty far away from the school."

Kyouya's eyes were shieleded by a glare on his glasses as he looked out across the parking lot. They were still trapped beneath the tiny awning, so he was standing pretty close to her. _We aren't as close as we were in the kitchen..._Allyn thought sadly. She could still feel the way his thin lips felt when they attacked hers. They were so soft, but aggressive at the same time. He controlled all of her senses when he stood there, trapping her. All she could see was him. All she could hear was his voice. She only felt the touch of his lips to hers and she only smelled the subtle pine scent on his skin. Standing here in the rain, she couldn't smell it anymore. Thick sheets of wet air surrounded them and swam up their nostrils. Kyouya was standing a few feet away, but Allyn had the strangest urge to be near him. She inched sideways in his direction ever so slowly, avoiding his gaze. _Maybe if I just..._

"Come on," Before Allyn had a chance to react, Kyouya had a firm grip on her upper arm and was running her accross the parking lot towards a small, black limo. The driver stood by the doors, one hand on an umbrella, the other poised by the door handle, ready to open it. Although it was short, the journey to the car was rather exihlerating. Butterflies fluttered excitedly in her stomach and the cold rain shocked her senses. Stepping into the limo was almost a disapointment until she realized how warm and soft it was. Kyouya still wasn't saying a word, but he sat awfully close to her. She breathed in his clean, foresty scent as he draped a long arm over her shoulders. Her eyes were drifting slowly shut, when an important thought practically screamed at her through the rosy haze that surrounded her when she was with Kyouya.

_He kissed me. He kissed me and then he _ignored _me. And now he's just put me in a car and is taking me somewhere?_

With a little diffuculty, Allyn managed to lift her head from his shoulder and look him in the eyes. "What's going on, Kyouya?"

Kyouya held her confused gaze for a moment, letting a mix of emotions flit across his face before turning his attenton back to one of the windows. "Why, I'm taking you to work of course."False cheer tainted his velvety voice and that stupid glare was back on his glasses.

_"Ugh!_" Allyn cried angrily. "Dude, cut the 'host' crap-you know what I mean. Why did you-" A strong, golden hand clamped over her mouth.

"I'll explain it when we get to my house," Kyouya's lips grazed her ears as he whispered frustratedly. "Just-just try to enjoy the ride please. I really can't elaborate right now."

Allyn inched as far away from him as she could in the limited space, but she was sandwiched between him and a window. _What's his problem?_ She wanted to press the issue further, but the uncharacteristic urgency in his voice stopped her. Maybe he was ashamed to admit that he'd kissed her. So ashamed that he couldn't even risk the driver hearing about it. Allyn leaned her damp head against the window and stared glumly out at the passing cars. The beautuful scenerey of Japan was blurred out by streaks of rain, each drop racing down the polished glass and creating its own path. Allyn sighed and ran a worried hand over her hair, smoothing it down. The rain had no doubt loosened a bunch of curls from her braid. When she put her hand back down, she was met by a runny coating of black on the tips of her fingers.

"Well that's just great, " she muttered, wiping the inky mess on her jeans.

Kyouya managed to decrease the already nonexistant space between them as he placed his arm back around her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

"Oh. It's nothing. I was just noticing that the black hair spray washed out when we were running to the car." When she noticed his confused look she added: "I'm not allowed to have purple hair at work."

Kyouya snorted at her last remark. "Why do you have purple hair at all?"

"Hey!" she huffed, crossin her arms. "It's my favorite color. Besides, it's not all that uncommon in New York. Or Japan for that matter."

"Than why don't you wear your purple hair to school?"

Allyn leaned away farther away from him and cast her gaze on the ground. "That's...that's not important." She couldn't tell him she was afraid people would notice her. That she would be laughed at or ridiculed for trying to make the brillow pad she was given as hair look any better. She never had to cover up her hair back home, but that was New York. A city where people could walk around with five inch lime green mowhawks and recieve nothing but compliments for it. Sure, you could get compliments in Japan, but that was only if you were cute. _And I'm not cute I'm a freak. _The car suffocated under an uncomfortable silence, neither teen knowing what to do next. Allyn just went back to looking out of the window, ignoring whatever shuffling Kyouya was doing next to her.

"Hold still," he shushed, wiping something across her hair.

"What are you-"

"I don't think the purple looks that bad," Kyouya was leaning back now, observing his work. He'd only removed the hairspray from the back of her head, but Allyn noticed some of the purple peaking through from the tip of her braid where she had been fiddling with it. It was comforting to see the vibrant lilac once again. "It actually compliments your skin tone really well."

Although she felt flattered, Allyn scoffed and tried to hide it. "That's the kind of thing people say when they don't want to tell you it's ugly."

"I really do think it's cute," he muttered in reply. Allyn risked a glance at his dark eyes and was surprised at the sincerity they held. But she wouldn't be fooled. What if this was some kind of dare thrust upon him by the rest of the host club? _'See how far you can get with the black girl before she figures out the joke!' _Allyn could practically hear the twin's manipulative voices while they plotted her humiliation. No; she couldn't be fooled by a bunch of rich kids with too much time on their hands.

A silence settled back in the car, but Kyouya didn't seem to notice this time. He was peering through the tinted windows at the driver. Then he looked out of the windows on eithier side of the car before confirming some silent notion.

_What is he going on ab-_

Then he kissed her.

.

.

.

Kyouya felt awful for not explaining himself earlier-he truly did-but he just didn't want his family interfering with what he had with Allyn. Whatever that was. Though the driver seemed nice, Kyouya realized that every one of their employees answered to the higher power that was his father and they wouldn't hesitate to inform Mr. Ootori if his son had a girlfriend. Once his parents knew he was ready to date, the might try to marry Kyouya off to some spoiled, bratty daughter of a CEO or something. So although it took a lot of his strength not to claim Allyn's lips the moment he saw her waiting beneath the awning, Kyouya managed to appear as nothing more than friends the entire ride home, save for one stolen kiss, but that was only because she looked to sad when he'd noticed her hair. Now that they were actually _at _home it was a different story. Allyn retreated to the master bathroom adjacent to Kyouya's bedroom to dry off and change into her work uniform while Kyouya dried off and changed into some dry clothes in his bedroom. It hadn't taken very long for him to strip his damp uniform and put on a button up shirt and jeans, but the entire time, he was made painfully aware of his situation.

Allyn was in his bathroom.

Probably in her underwear.

In _his _bathroom.

_Calm down, Kyouya. _If he let his mind wander too much, it might be very embarrasing for him when she finally does emerge. _Just think about something else. _ He glanced anxiously around the drab, black and white room for a distraction. A flash of color caught his eye and he picked up a forgotten Rubik's Cube from his dresser and began solving it. The rhythmatic twisting and turning helped a little bit.

Blue, white, yellow.

_Don't think about they way she felt sitting so close to you in the car._

White, red, white.

_Or the fact that her shirt was a little transparent from the rain._

Red, red, yellow.

_Especially don't think about the color of her underthings. _

Red, red, red.

_Don't think about the little red hearts that hovered so dangerously close to where your hand rested on her shoulder._

Red, red, red.

_Or the red lace that danced flirtaciously around the hem of her-_

"Kyouya? Are you finished changing?" Allyn poked her head into the room, a slender hand shielding her eyes from any indecencies she might face. The sight would have been a lot more enjoyable if Kyouya hadn't been so flustered.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah, you can come in." He spun around, putting his back to her, waiting for his face to cool down. How could one girl manage to make him feel so many things? Once he felt like it was safe, he turned back around to take in her outfit. The maid's uniform she had to wear was nothing like what he had been hoping for, but it was cute none the less. Allyn fluttered about nervously in a slim fitting blue dress that stopped just above her knees. Silver buttons made a glittering train from her high collar to the crisply ironed hem and white mary-janes tapped happily on the tile of his bathroom floor. Apparently she'd decided to begin her cleaning in there.

Kyouya cleared his throat, getting her attention. "Allyn?" he called, waving her to the large bed in the center of the room. "I need to talk to you for a minute."

She seemed hesitant at first, but eventually Allyn took a seat next to him. "If this is about my hair, I won't have the purple in it tomorrow. And I'm about to go get your dinner right now."

The fact that she was his maid still hadn't sunk in yet, so Kyouya just waved off her concerns. "No, no this is about our-uh-encounter...after tutoring."

"Oh..." she waited patiently for what she must have thought to be bad news, because her eyes seemed sad all of a sudden.

"It's just that families like mine have certain...duties they feel like they have to fufill and sometimes those duties overlook the desires of the people involved. Running a company is hard work, so my father and mother are put under a lot of stress to stay on good terms with a lot of their clients and prospective business partners-"

"Kyouya just get to the point."

Kyouya sighed and cleared his throat again, as if the words didn't want to be said."Well, I like you a lot, Allyn. And I want to continue to tutor you and get to know you, but..."

Allyn gripped the end of her dress nervously. "But...?"

"My parents might try to seperate us if they found out we were dating. So, if it's alright with you, can we keep this a secret? At least until I manage to work something out."

The sound of Kyouya's heart in his ears was deafening. Never before had he put his heart on display like he had for this girl and it was terrifying him. All of his usual confidence disintegrated when she was around. He couldn't read her moves or determine what she was going to do next like he could with other people. The only two people who'd ever made him feel even close to this way were Haruhi and Suoh and even they were a _little _predictable. But Allyn? Allyn was like a whole new species to him. There were so many things he didn't know. So many things he wanted to find out.

"Dating?"

Her voice was so quiet and scared, Kyouya thought he imagined it. "I'm sorry?"

"You...you said we were dating. Are you serious about it or is this some kind of trick?" She looked at him now, her big chocolatey eyes were frightened and her lower lip rested between her teeth.

"Well...yeah. If it's OK with you, I'd like to start dating." Kyouya's stomach flip flopped in anticipation as he waited for her response. Would she laugh in his face? Would she tell the whole school that Kyouya Ootori, the school's cold hearted robot, had felt so vulnerable and afraid of his own parents? "So...do you? Want to start dating, I mean."

Instead of an answer, Kyouya was met by a pair of soft, luscious lips against his. She'd put so much of her body weight into the kiss, that they'd fallen backwards onto his soft king sized bed. Kyouya tried to ignore how good she felt pressed against him and focused on her eyes. Those gorgeous, brown eyes that made him melt with longing everytime she looked his way. Those eyes that held the secrets he was so excited to discover.

"I take that as a yes."

**A/N: This is a little slow moving, but I'm getting a beta reader soon(hopefully), so the chapters should be getting better! I've already gone back and made some minor changes to the previous chapters so they weren't so choppy and rushed, so if you want to you can go reread those, but there aren't any major changes.**

**My cover design contest-thing is still open, and I would really appreciate it if you popped on over to my you tube channel and watched a few of my videos. My channel name is VlogFuchsia and I make videos every week.**

**Thank you very much for reading and please review if you have the time. C:**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks for all of the positive feedback from the last chapter. There were only a couple of reviews, but a few people added this story and myself to their alert/favorites lists, so that made me smile. The last chapter was still riddled with mistakes despite my rereading it a few times over, but I guess that's the price I pay for having long nails and terrible keyboards. I really am trying to improve my writing skills, but the more I reread my chapters, the more I realize just how much I still need to learn. This fic is a **_**lot **_**beter than my first one, but it's still not as good as I would like. I really do appreciate the reviews and feedback, so thanks a lot and I'll try to keep improving.**

**Please enjoy this chapter!**

"Do you need anything else, Master Kyouya?" Allyn was doing that thing again. She refused to be anything but 'Master and Maid' since her first day of working for Kyouya and it was starting to really annoy him. Any attempts at cuddling were avoided and all kisses were denied. Great.

"I need _two _things, actually," he answered, pulling Allyn closer to where he was sitting on the edge of the bed. Her petite waist felt good trapped beneath his hands and the urge to let them wander was distracting, but staring up into her angelic face helped him ignore it. "I need you to stop calling me 'Master' and I need you to give me a goodnight kiss before you leave."

"It would be very unproffesional for me to kiss you," Allyn sighed. "But I _can _stop calling you 'Master' if you want."

Despite having spent every afternoon together for the past week or so, Kyouya couldn't find anything he disliked about his new maid. She was a wonderful cook and somehow managed to make his emaculate room look even better. And, no matter what she said, Allyn was really smart when it came to things other than math. Her very presence in his life seemed to improve his mood exponentially. Kyouya wasn't a very grumpy or moody person to begin with, but he never _really _smiled until Allyn came into his life. More and more, Kyouya found himself smiling at the mere thought of Allyn or anything that reminded him of her. Like the way the flower arrangements in the dining hall were the same color as the streaks in her hair. Or the way the cotton candy from the Host Club's carnival theme smelled like the perfume she sprayed behind her ears. Those cute little ears.

Allyn smirked and kissed his forhead before removing Kyouya's hands from her waist. "Is there anything else you need before you retire to bed, _sir_?"

"You just never give up, do you?"

"Well, I really need this job, sir. And if anybody else heard me speaking so casually with you, they might report me to my boss," Allyn retrieved her bags from the corner of his room and and made her way to the door. Kyouya always hated this part of the day. She flounced around all afternoon, saying funny things and cooking him delicious American food, but _just _when he thought they were finally going to be a regular old couple instead of employer and employee, she grabbed her bags and went home. It may have just been his imagination, but Kyouya swore she looked cuter when they were alone.

_I bet she does it on purpose, _he thought, grumpily, sneaking up behind her and wrapping his arms around Allyn's shoulders. "You know I can't have you, so you look even more adorable at times like these..."

"What are you going on about, now? I have to get home."

Kyouya rested his face on her head, enjoying the way her frizzy, fly away curls felt against his cheeks."Sleep here."

With a quiet groan, Allyn tugged at his arms. "You know I can't do that, _sir. _You're my boss, remember?"

"You could quit..." Kyouya mused, tightening his arms a little more and planting sweet kisses on her neck.

"I need the money."

"I could fire you," he murmured, causing the fragile body in front of him to tense up suddenly.

"You wouldn't," she challenged. Of course he wouldn't. He knew how much she needed to keep a position with such rich employers and he knew how expensive it could be to pay for an apartment as big as Allyn's and still attend Ouran. But there was no way Kyouya would let her know that.

Instead, he held her even closer and began kissing her cheek. "I would if it meant I could have a girlfriend. I don't need a maid."

"You may not need a maid, but your girlfriend would waste away if she couldn't pay for food anymore," Allyn was laughing now, calling Kyouya's bluff. How did she know him so well already? No matter how hard he tried, Kyouya couldn't make sense of the way she did things-he couldn't find any patterns. But she seemed to know what he was thinking before he thought it. It was actually kind of frightening how well she could read him after only a week of spending so much time together. In a month's time, she would have nothing left to learn. _What if she get's bored? _He thought, gazing down at the beautiful creature he had trapped in his arms. She was so alive, so vibrant and unique; it was only a matter of time before she found someone more like her to be with. Someone who wasn't so bland and boring. _Someone who isn't the third son. _Yes, it was definitely a possibility that Allyn could get bored, but Kyouya just had to make sure that didn't happen. He had to be spontaneous and fun, like Suoh. He had to keep her interested.

"Allyn," he announced, spinning her around to face him. "I think it's time we go on a proper date."

"Where did this come from all of a sudden?" Despite the sass, her round eyes lit up at the proposition.

This made Kyouya smile, as he put an arm around her waist, walking her to his bedroom door. "I'm being spontaneous, can't you tell?"

"Well, Mr. Spontaneous, two can play at that game. The date will be at my place, next Saturday at six o' clock. Don't wear anything too expensive because we may be getting messy."

"Saturday?" questioned Kyouya, sadly. "That's a whole eight days from now, I'm not sure if I can wait that long."

Allyn paused, and turned around to give him a quick kiss before she left. "You could've just said it was a week from now, Smartypants."

"But it's not a week, it's eight days," he quipped matter-of-factly before closing the door and ending their night together.

_And it may very well be the longest eight days of my life._

.

.

.

_Why did I say those things?_

Allyn lay down on her small, twin sized bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was Monday evening now, and her big date with Kyouya was at the end of the week. She'd foolishly tried to impress him and scheduled the date at her apartment. What was wrong with her? It wasn't like Allyn to be so confident, especially not around boys. It wasn't like her to be so daring and assertive, but Kyouya managed to bring out that side of her when they were together. She felt the strangest urge to impress him in anyway possible. Be it answering a question correctly in class, or planning random dates.

_I bet Mom and Dad would kill to see me stress over a boy like this, _Allyn thought with a laugh. Back in New York, she'd never really worried about anything other than her friends, her music and her charity work. When Allyn wasn't dancing at a recital, she was singing at a shelter, never stopping to flirt or bat an eye at any cute boys. Sure, she felt a little lonely when her friends cancled plans to go hang out with their boyfriends. And it was even worse when they brought them along without warning her first, but Allyn managed to have a good time without being attatched at the hip with some guy. She rolled onto her side, smiling at the memory of her mother and father trying to talk to her about boys.

_"So when are you going to get a boyfriend?" Her mother asked out of the blue one Sunday morning. Allyn was back home for Spring Break during her first year at Ouran. It was unusually warm for a NYC spring day, but no one was complaining. The evening before, Allyn's parents left her alone all night to go dancing. Apparently that made them realize that a fifteen year old girl shouldn't spend her Saturday nights home alone, watching _Wall-E _for the third time._

_"I don't know," Allyn sighed."When a guy I like comes along."_

_Allyn's father, Walter, scanned the paper nonchalantely, trying to look uninterested. "What about the Smith's boy? He's got a good head on his shoulders, right, Honey?"_

_"Oh yes! He'd be perfect for you, Allyn. We'll invite him over for dinner tomorrow."_

_Allyn practically choked on her orange juice at that. "What? Why do you think he's so 'perfect' for me all of a sudden?" she sputtered. The Smith's kid was a total bore and girls were notorious for leaving him because of his video game addiction. Even if she was truly desperate for a boyfriend, they would have little to _nothing _in common._

_"Well, you two are the same age, aren't you?" Walter put down his newspaper and let his elbows lean on the table._

_"The same age!" sputtered Allyn, incredulously. "Is that why you two got married? Because you're the same _age?_"_

_"Well, no..." her mother started. "But we're not talking about marraige. We just want you to go out and enjoy yourself. A young lady should have at least _one _boyfriend before she settles down. How else will you know what kind of guys you like?"_

_"Yeah," her father chimed in with a laugh. "And when am I ever going to get the chance to intimidate some poor shmuck who thinks he's good enough to be with my baby girl? You can't deny me that right as a father."_

_Allyn dessovled in a fit of giggles as her father pulled her into a big bear hug. "Fine. Fine. When I get a boyfriend, I'll let you know."_

_"You will?" her mother questioned, joining in on the hug. "Even if that boyfriend is in Japan?"_

_"Yes, I promise."_

That was alwas a fun memory to look back on when she was feeling homesick. It was so sweet the way her parents worried about her, even if she wasn't their _real _daughter.

_It's a shame I can't tell them about Kyouya, _Allyn sighed. She'd asked him the first day they'd started dating if she could tell her parents and Kyouya _insisted _that his family had some pretty strange connections with people all over the world. If even one person let it slip that the two were dating, rumors could spread and by the time it reached Mr. Ootori, the story might be blown way out of proportion. Her parents would like Kyouya, though. Allyn knew that. Kyouya was great with people, just like Walter. The two of them would be able to talk abut practically anything together if they wanted to. Both men just had such a way with words. Kyouya and Sam would be able to talk business together if they were ever left alone. And Allyn was sure her mother would be impressed by the way Kyouya runs the Host Club. Both of her parents would commend her for finding such a well rounded and wonderful boy like Kyouya Ootori.

But Kyouya meeting her parents wasn't even a _possibility_ right now. What Allyn needed to focus on was planning that date. What was it she said to him as she was leaving on Friday? The date was going to be..._"messy"_? What did that even _mean_? Allyn was sure she knew what she meant when she _said _it, but every time she tried to remember, her mind was clouded by other minuscule details from that day. Like the way his strong hands felt when he pulled her closer to him on the bed. Or the fact that when she was standing slightly between his parted knees, it was hard to focus on the words coming out of his mouth. Allyn almost drifted off into another daydream when she remembered about the date.

_Ugh, this is going to suck. _Allyn stretched and hopped out of bed. She was never going to get anywhere if she wallowed around in her room until Saturday, so she headed to the kitchen to brainstorm ideas over some left over chicken and rice. _A lot of my hobbies are a little messy,_ she mused, bringing the fork to her mouth. _But I don't think Kyouya would like pottery. And even if we were to paint something, what would it be? There's _no way _I'd convince him to go dancing with me and singing isn't messy at all. _The bowl of rice felt warm and heavy in her hands. Light blue lines chased each other around the sides, creating a delicate pattern.

"I've got it!" exclaimed Allyn excitedly. _We can cook together!_

It was the perfect plan. Since Allyn scheduled the date around dinner time, they could spend a little time goofing off and preparing the food, and once it was in the oven, they'd have plenty of time to "be a couple" as Kyouya liked to put it. _Maybe we could even make dessert too, if there's any time left over. _Allyn walked her bowl over to the sink and was about to go make a list of things they would need, when something peculiar caught her eye. The bowl was still practically full of food. Allyn tried to remember just _how _many bites she'd taken, but that familiar throbbing in her head came back.

"Oh well..." she murmured in English. "I _feel _full, so I guess I just made more than I thought I did."

On her way to the living room, Allyn retreived another one of those purple envelopes from the floor and shoved it in the draw with the others. She didn't have to read it to know it was just another page full of insults and warnings like the rest of the daily letters. Allyn stopped reading them after the fourth one, but she could never bring herself to throw them away. Even though they were unneccesarily malicious, Allyn couldn't help but notice that they held a grain of truth. She _was _different. And, though it may not be a bad thing back in America, Japan held a different sense of what was beautiful just like any other place in the world. Small was beautiful, not tall. And lovely, golden brown skin was everywhere. Japanese women were born with small bottoms and even smaller waists. Anything else was foreign and ugly.

Allyn tried not to think about it very often, but occasionally she found herself wondering how she managed to win the heart of a guy like Kyouya. _His infatuation is real _now, _but what if he's just experimenting? What if he get's bored with doting on such a weird girl, like me? _Those letters were evidence that Kyouya wouldn't have any trouble finding someone more suited to him, so there was nothing about Allyn that was really chaining him there. _Ugh, what am I thinking? _she thought with a shake of her head. _It's barely been a week. All we need to do right now is enjoy each other's company and hope this thing works out for the better._

**A/N: So I'm trying to make them seem happy as a couple without making eaither character too OOC. I think I've got Kyouya pegged pretty well because he wasn't very moody or angry in the anime. He said funny things and he said them with confidence and even a smile sometimes, so I'm going to try and focus on that when I'm writing. There will be times when he's all sad and junk, but those will come later.**

**Also, I'm trying not to have them move too quickly in the relationship. Since they haven't had the beach trip yet, I'm going to put that in after Kyouya and Allyn have been together for at least a month even though the anime had it right after the waterpark, so the next two or three chapters might just be fluff.**

**My cover art "contest" is still open and I would appreciate it if you popped on over to my you tube channel to support me. My channel name is VlogFuchsia and I make videos every week.**

**Oh yeah, and sorry this chapter was so short. I'm trying to pass the time a little more quickly, so that they're not saying "I love you" after three days.**

**Thank you for reading and please review if you have the time.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Yeah, this is coming really late because I have been absolutely OBSESSED with my A:TLA fanfiction ideas. Seriously. I'm contemplating just working on more than one story at a time because I read somewhere that it's a good way to increase productivity. Hopefully, if I do that I won't neglect either fic, but I make no promises. You guys should consider it a good thing that I feel so guilty after not uploading for a week because there are numoreous fics on my Alert list that have been basically abandoned for the past few months and it makes me sad because the stories were good. **

**I guess I'll shut up now, so you can read this chapter. **

Clothes were strewn about Allyn's small bedroom floor, making the journey to and from the bathroom an obstacle course of sorts. Kyouya would be arriving in fifteen minutes and she was still unsure of what to wear. The outfit she had on was _OK_, but Allyn didn't want to look _OK _for Kyouya. She wanted to look nice. Pretty, even. The girl staring back at her from the bathroom mirror was not pretty. A fuchsia tank top clung tightly to her body-emphasizing a few curves Alln would rather keep hidden-and her denim shorts seemed a lot smaller than the last time she wore them. The slight bulge of her thighs where her skin met the rough, blue fabric was revolting and the distance between her bottom and her feet was very long. And so very..._brown. _Allyn spent the majority of her Saturday and the days leading up to it, looking for the right ensemble for a pizza-making date with the son of a multi-millionaire, but everything she tried was either too fancy or too casual. _I can't walk around in what I _feel _like wearing, because sweatpants and baggy tee's aren't flattering at all. _ At least if Kyouya somehow managed to ignore her many flaws, he would notice that she wasn't _too _big and the streaks in her hair matched the tank top almost perfectly. The hairstyle she'd chosen seemed a little wild compared to the tame side braids and neat buns she'd worn out of the house, but it still looked OK. Thanks to the three hours she'd spent the night before separating her long, curly hair into thick chunks, and twisting those chunks into large, two-strand twists, Allyn's hair looked a little neater flowing out of the high ponytail at the top of her head. The twists had separated nicely that morning, and she managed to give each streak of purple its own spiral instead of mixing them into a frizzy mess.

Allyn brought a hand to her head, smoothing down the thousands of tiny curls that poked their way through the hair she tried so hard to slick down. Despite the slight shine and minimal bounce in her ponytail, the hair still felt uncomfortably rough against her fingertips. If she had been Japanese, she would have curled her hair with a curling iron or just worn it straight. Either way, Allyn's hair would have been like silk between her fingers instead of the brillowpad-esque texture she'd grown so accustomed to. _Why do I have to be this way? _Allyn was close to calling Kyouya and canceling their afternoon plans, but the soft dinging of her doorbell deterred her from doing so.

"Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh-Hi, Kyouya!" Allyn stood away from the threshold, beckoning Kyouya inside with a less than graceful sweep of her long arm. "You don't have to take your shoes off if you don't want to. I just leave mine on, since that's what we did back home."

Her raven-haired heart throb was as dazzlingly handsome as ever. He'd obviously tried to take her advice and wear something that didn't cost more than her entire closet, but Allyn noticed that his black t-shirt and jeans were by a very expensive designer. Kyouya enveloped her in a long hug and Allyn breathed deeply into his chest, most of her worries from earlier melting away. His long, thin arms held her very tightly and Allyn could hear Kyouya's steady heartbeat throught the expensive fabric of his shirt. She hoped he couldn't hear the way her's was fluttering rapidly, like a butterfly trapped in a jar.

"If it's alright with you, I'll take my shoes off. We _are _in Japan afterall," Kyouya somehow managed to turn an incredibly boring sentence into poetry. The meaningless words flowed smoothly from his perfect mouth and made Allyn a little weak at the knees. As if it were even possible, it looked like Kyouya got even more handsome than he was yesterday afternoon at tutoring. Gorgeously golden hands pried off his flashy sneakers one by one, and hidden muscles rippled slightly beneath his flawless arms. "So what are we going to be doing this afternoon?"

Kyouya's velvety voice snapped Allyn out of her trance and she gestured weakly around the kitchen. "We're-uh-going to be making dinner. And dessert too if you want," the words sounded so unsure in her mouth. Why did she ever think this was a good idea? People like Kyouya needed to be pampered, not worked to death. His idea of a date probably included far more luxiorious things than slaving away just to eat his own dinner. Allyn surveyed his face for any kind of response, but his mouth remaind neutral and a white glare on his glasses blocked her view of Kyouya's intelligent, grey eyes. "Or we could just watch a movie, if you don't want to make your own dinner. I mean, if I were you I'd think this was kind of stupid too. I'll just order a pizza and find some DVDs, you ju-"

"What? Making dinner sounds like fun," Kyouya was walking around now, surveying the food Allyn arranged on the one of small kitchen countertops. He was like an overgrown child, the way he picked up cans of tomato sauce and bags of flour. His normally calm eyes lit up while they skimmed each list of ingredients and his voice sounded genuinely intrigued as he muttered under his breath. "By the looks of things, I'd say we're making an typical American pizza, but we might also have the makings for an odd pot of spagheti. Allyn?"

"Uh, yeah?" Without realizing it, Allyn stood at the door, staring dumbly at her curious boyfriend.

Kyouya walked back to where she was and put his hands on her waist, guiding her over to the food. "Well, I've never had to cook before. Aren't you going to tell me what to do?"

_Why is he so perfect? _Allyn practically melted under his gaze, but managed to get it together enough to start pouring various powders and seasonings into a bowl, epxlainging things to Kyouya as they went along. _It's clear he's out of his comfort zone, but he stil put on a happy face for me. _

"Now, why exactly do we need to beat the eggs _before _we put them in this dry mixture we've got sitting in the bowl?" Kyouya stood with his arms crossed over his chest, a hand resting beneath his chin as he took some mental notes. "Wouldn't it just get mixed up anyway since it's all going into the same place?"

"Well yes," Allyn's tinkling laughter filled the apartment. "But we need to make sure the eggs are already mixed properly, so it will blend better in the dough."

"Well, why didn't we beat the eggs before we mixed all of these dry things together?"

"Because it's easier to mix them thoroughly without a sticky blob in the center of it."

Kyouya took the transparent bowl holding the beaten eggs and held it at eye level. "Interesting."

"You're so weird," Allyn sighed, happily. The date was going better than expected. Kyouya was eager to help in any way that he could and-as far as Allyn could tell-he was _actually _enjoying himself. Allyn giggled when he got his hands stuck in the still tacky pizza dough and never missed an opportunity to fling flour into his unsuspecting face. This usually earned her a stern look and an equal amount of flour in her own face, but she didn't care. As long as Kyouya was happy, she was happy.

"So, what kind of toppings do you want?" The couple had already sprinkled more than enough cheese over the sauce covered disc, and were sampling the different items Allyn had chosen two nights before. She hoped her boyfriend would choose bacon and ham instead of the thickly chopped green peppers and mushroom, but she didn't tell him that. This evening was all about making him happy since she'd been practically ignoring her girlfiend "duties" at school and work, so whatever he chose, Allyn would try her best to eat it enthusiastically and with a smile.

Kyouya leaned over the bowls of toppings, analyzing each one carefully. "Hm..." He popped a small piece of pepper in his mouth before quickly spitting it into a napkin and did the same with a mushroom. "Ugh, I don't want to be a drag, Allyn, but those two aren't very good at all. I prefer ham and bacon, but if you like vegetables, we can go half and half...?" The end of his sentence trailed of into a question as Kyouya turned his gaze back to Allyn.

She stole his unsuspecting lips in a grateful kiss before dumping said toppings all over the pizza. "Thank goodness. I only picked the vegetables because I thought you would eat them." She carefully placed the pizza into the oven before turning back to her significant other. "We can go relax on the couch while this is cooking. It'll probably take twenty minutes or so..."

.

.

.

"...is there anything you want to do in the meantime?"

Oh, Kyouya could think of _many _things he could do in twenty minutes with such a gorgeous girl, but he wouldn't dare voice such things in front of her. No. An Ootori always remained polite and gentlemanly even when there was no one around. "We could watch a movie, if you would like."

"Great," Allyn chirped. She took his hand in her own and led him to the living room area. Kyouya took the rare opportunity to admire her exposed legs the whole way there. His dark eyes traveled slowly from her feet to her bottom and back again a few times, marveling at the length of her toned legs. Japanese girls were beautiful, yes, but there was no way the amount of beauty Allyn harbored could fit into such a small package. Every inch of her body was gorgeous in it's own way and Kyouya couldn't imagine her looking any different, regardless of the strange looks she still got when she walked the halls of Ouran. The close-minded people at the academy expected her to somehow fit into their small box of "normal", but there was no way Allyn could do that. The amount of wonderful qualities she contained would never cram into a box so boringly miniscule.

"I have _Wall-E,_ _The Lion King, Step Up, _and some _Twilight _movies my friends bought me as a joke last Christmas." Allyn stooped in front of the small television across the room as she called out movie titles to Kyouya. He tried his best to listen, but her position was rather..._distracting._

_Why is my head so in the gutter today? _Kyouya mentally reprimanding himself and tried to look elsewhere. _I'm positive she's creeped out by the way I've been staring at her all afternoon. _

"Kyouya? Did you hear me?" Allyn sat in front of the small shelf, looking at him with those big brown eyes. She was so far away that they looked almost black, but they were striking none-the-less. "What movie do you want?"

"Let's watch _Step Up._ That's a dance movie, right? You like dancing."

Allyn snuggled next to him on the couch. Her soft arms were cold to the touch and Kyouya was more than happy to warm them with his own. "How did you know that? I never said anything, did I?" There was an edge to her voice that seemed almost foreign compared to her usual light and bubbly attitude. There was also a little something that was off about her appearence, but Kyouya couldn't put his finger on it. He stared quizzically at the girl, but try as he might, anytime he thought of something wrong about her, it was always clouded by all of the good. Like the way her tank top showed off her flat stomach and striking curves. She was far more endowed than any other girl Kyouya had seen growing up and her height was a welcome change from the short girls that flooded the club rooms every afternoon. Though, he'd never had a girlfriend before Allyn, the idea of stooping just to kiss the one he cared about was very offputting.

"No..." Kyouya started. "But, you're always watching dance videos online, so I figured it was a hobby of yours."

Allyn visibly relaxed at his words and sank even farther into his embrace. "Oh. Well remind me to go check on the pizza when the timer goes off."

The movie was fairly predictable and Kyouya found himself focusing more on the girl in his arms instead of the cliche couple on screen. He tried to keep his hand in a safe space between her bust and her bottom, but Allyn wasn't making it very easy. Every few minutes she wriggled and squirmed beneath Kyouya, a smirk gracing her lips when he tensed up and tried to replace his hand as casually as possible. She was toying with him, apparantly amused by the fact that he respected her too much to cross any boundaries. Kyouya longed to toy right back, not wanted her to beat him at his own game, but he also didn't want to sully their first date with any less than gentlemanly behaviour. So each time Allyn figdeted, pressing her chest into his side or "accidentally" knocking his hand to the back pocket of her shorts, Kyouya pretended he didn't notice and tried to keep his face from turning red.

Kyouya was very appreciative when the timer went off in the kitchen and Allyn had to go retrieve their dinner. A couple on screen just shared a passionate kiss after some silly argument they'd had the day before. Kyouya could feel Allyn's round eyes on him, studying his reaction, and he didn't know how much longer he could take. He took her absence as an opportunity to take a few deep breaths and clear his mind of the temptations she'd planted earlier. It was damn near impossible for Kyouya to tell whether she was joking or if she really wanted him to make a move that night. Each time he tried to explore her further than the few, quick kisses they'd shared sparingly throughout the past two weeks, his intentions were shot down by a wave of doubt. All of the confidence he'd had when he confronted her that afternoon after tutoring had dissapated into a nervous, hesitant mess. Kyouya longed to trap her lips beneath his own and work his hands over her curves like an artist molding his sculptures, but he had no way of know if that was what she _wanted. _He couldn't tell if Allyn knew how much Kyouya actually cared about her or if she was growing less interested by the second.

_I'm never going to find out with this kind of attitude, _Kyouya assured himself. _I need to be spontaneous and fun like her. If I don't make her mine soon, she might be making pizzas with some other guy by next week. _

"The pizza looks like it turned out really well, Kyouya," Allyn balanced two plates and two closed sodas in each of her hands. "I hope you don't mind, but I just have Coca-Cola to drink. I didn't really think tea would pair well with pizza." The heavy cans knocked loudly against the wood of the small coffee table in front of them and, while the food did look appetizing, Kyouya had other things on his mind.

Before he knew what he was doing, Kyouya pinned Allyn beneath him on the soft couch. His hand wove aggressivly in her curls and he attacked her lips with fierce, hungry kisses. He studied her face for any sign of discomfort, but after the initial shock of someone being forced upon her, Allyn's eyes closed and she could hardly kiss him through the wide grin on her face. Kyouya's body acted on his own and he began targeting her long, smooth neck next.

"If I had known you would be like this, I would have invited you over sooner," Allyn's voice seemed a far away as she spoke. One of her thin hands was weaving its way back and forth through Kyouya's short, inky hair and the other dug its long nails into his shoulder. "What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

Kyouya didn't answer at first, too preoccupied with wondering what to do with his right hand. At the moment, it was still resting in the safe space on her waist, afraid to wander any further north or south. "I really like you, Allyn," He breathed into her shoulder. "I don't want you to get bored."

Allyn brought her hands up to his face and placed his lips over her own, resuming their kissing at a more relaxed pace. Kyouya's hand still hovered blandly on her waist, but he didn't really mind anymore. Her soft lips were so large and overpowering, it was hard to focus on anything else. Her breath was warm and she smelled of cotton candy. The sweet scent was calming, and it filled Kyouya's head with a relaxed haze. The strawberry chapstick on her lips made him feel like all of his problems would melt away if he just stayed attached to this girl. Before he knew it, Allyn had somehow managed to turn the tables and fixate herself on top of him. One of her soft, warm hands was on top of his and was slowly guiding lower and lower until it rested confortably on the denim pockets of her snug shorts. Kyouya smiled, happy to claim his prize at last and trailed his fingertips lightly up and down the back of her thighs.

Allyn stopped kissing him and sat up abruptly, looking into Kyouya's worried eyes.

Oh no. He'd gone to far. _Why douldn't I just leave my stupid hand where she put it? _

"Um...Kyouya?" Allyn mumbled shyly. The purple curly bits she'd left out as bangs sheilded her eyes from him and her voice was laced with uncertainty.

Kyouya pulled himself up as best as he could to be at eye-level with her, but she was still sitting on his legs."Sorry. Did I do something wrong? Are you upset?" So many more unspoken questions rested on the tip of his tounge, but Kyouya neglected to give them a voice.

"No, No! You didn't do anything wrong, but..." her voice trailed off a bit and she glanced nervousl at the ceiling. "I just wanted to make sure you knew that nothing _more _is going to happen tonight."

_Oh, God she thinks I was trying to-_"I wasn't trying to pressure you or anything, I swear! I was just-well-you looked really cute with your shorts and your ponytail. And the way you were acting during th movie-I just figured-but if you want me to back off, I completely understand." Words tumbled from Kyouya's mouth without his control, making him seem like even more of a fool for the way he acted. He was sure Allyn would laugh in his face or tell him to leave, but she did something entirely different.

Allyn kissed him on the cheek and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Good. I'm glad we're on the same page," She removed herself from her position on his legs and resumed sitting the way she was before he'd gotten so carried away with her. "So are we gonne eat or what? The pizza is getting cold. Oh, and just so you know: I could never get bored of being with you, Kyouya."

Her last sentence was spoken so softly, if Kyouya hadn't seen her lips moving, he might have thought he imagined them. A warm feeling crept across his face and he turned to the side, looking at a clock on the wall as an excuse to hide his blushing face. 7:05 PM. The moment seemed fleeting to him, but somehow they'd managed to kiss for a little more than a quarter of an hour. The homemade pizza tasted better than he expected, but that was probably because it was prepared by such a lovely young lady. He surprised himself by eating two and a half slices which was a lot more than he would normally eat in front of others, for fear of looking like a glutton. Allyn, however took little more than three bites from her first slice of pizza. Kyouya stared absentmindedly at the pate for a few minutes before it finally dawned on him what was so off about his girlfriend. In the blue light of the television, he noticed the way her bones fought to be seen in her thin arms and her cheeks lacked what little plumpness they'd had before.

Kyouya didn't know how to approach the subject, but he figured it was best to address it before anything got out of hand. "Allyn?"

She turned to look at him with a happy smile. "Yeah, Kyouya?"

"Why haven't you finished your slice of pizza? It really turned out well," Kyouya couldn't bare to ruin the-_almost_-perfect night they were sharing together, so he went for a bit of a different approach.

"Oh," Allyn looked at her plate quizzically, like she didn't expect the slice to still be there. She reached for it, but her hand recoiled up to the grimace on her face and she rubbed her temple gingerly. "I feel full. I guess I just had a really big lunch."

"Are you sure?"

"Well...yeah. Why are you so interested?"

"It's just," Kyouya struggled to find some words that didn't seem offensive. "You look a little _thinner_ than usual," A slightly hurt look crossed Allyn's pretty features and Kyouya regretted the words almost immediately. He cradled her in his arms and kissed her forehead a few times while he scrambled to find the words to take that sad look off of her face. "But it's not really a _bad _thing. I just want you to know that you don't have to change the way you look for me. I love your curves and your long legs and your curly hair."

"Really?" Allyn sounded confused, as if the thought of someone liking those qualities in her was something strange.

"Well, yes. Those are some of the best things about you," Kyouya kissed her one more time on the lips and was happy to see a smile there when he pulled away. "Now what was it you said earlier about dessert?"

**A/N: Oops. I almost wrote smut, you guys. SMUT. But I would probably never do that because just reading the stuff makes me uncomfortable. **

**Thanks for reading and I'm too tired to remember what I usually put down here, so bye. **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: OK, guys I have some serious writer's block right now, but I'll try my hardest just for you. I've been on an anime marathon the past few weeks(Kimi ni Todoke, Itazura na Kiss, and Peach Girl!), so Ouran has been put on a back burner in my mind. I'm really trying to keep this story moving at a reasonable pace, but the only thing I can think of to write about is the beach trip and nothing happens in the anime between the water park and the beach, so I've just been pulling crap out of no where these past few chapters. The "climax" of this fanfic will occur next chapter, so this might be boring as all get out, but at least it's something.**

**Please enjoy this chapter!**

"Wha-The beach?"

"Yeah!"

"But why?"

The twins managed to fill the entire music room with swim suit-clad mannequins. Various hosts sat in their usual spots as though nothing was wrong, and Allyn tried to do the same, but she couldn't help but feel uneasy. Although the club wasn't officially open for business that day, Allyn hardly noticed the difference between their usual guests and the dummies Hikaru and Kaoru brought along. Faceless porcelien women with perfect hour-glass figures crowded her personal space while she was busy studying with Kyouya. And even though they were inanimate objects, Allyn felt like they were judging her the way all of those prissy Ouran girls have been judging her all week. Allyn started attending her tutoring sessions during the last hour of Host Club to save time for Kyouya to complete his work at home. He'd been coming home more tired than usual and dark purple circles formed beneath his eyes. No matter how much Allyn ignored him at work, Kyouya never managed to focus on anything business related when she was around and it was starting to affect the club and, most importantly, his health. She suspected he stayed up later to finish any work he neglected to do in the afternoons and the thought of him losing sleep because of her filled Allyn with some awful sense of guilt and responsibility. Kyouya's been nothing but kind to her, so it was only a small sacrifice to bump up their tutoring time.

"Don't you remember what you said at the water park?" Hikaru and Karoru leaned dangerously close to Haruhi's face while they explained. She didn't hit them yet, but it looked like she was coming close.

"You said you wanted to go to a real beach!" Hunny chirped from his position in front of a strawberry cake.

The twins stepped back and gestured dramatically at a blue two peice suit with lots of ruffles. "So we brought you some of our mothers old designs!"

Allyn admired the fashionable suit from afar before a pale set of hands settled rather violently over her eyes.

"What's the big idea?" She shouted in English.

"You guys!" Tamaki's voice sounded from above her head. "Allyn doesn't know about Haruhi's...situation yet. So keep quiet and get rid of those _girl's _bathing suits. Haruhi is a _boy_, remember?"

_That's right! He still doesn't know that I know about Haruhi. _

"Uh, Tamaki?" Allyn sat stiffly behind his hands and tried her best not to let her voice shake. It was going to take a while for her to get used to his antics. "I've known for a while that Haruhi's not a boy. She's too pretty and small."

Silence fell over the hosts for the span of a heartbeat and Allyn felt the sensation of being watched. _Is it really that big of a secret? I'm surprised the whole school hasn't figured it out by now. _

"You heard her, Tamaki. Now get your hands away from Allyn," Kyouya's voice was calm and civil, but anyone with a working pair of ears would be able to notice the venom laced around those words. Tamaki's hands hesitated just long enough for Kyouya to add, "Or _else._"

Cool air rushed over Allyn's closed eyelids and she heard a thud behind her. Tamaki was pressed against the Music room doors, one hand covering his mouth and his violet eyes spread wide. It was all Allyn could do not to smile at her boyfriend's jealousy.

"Jeez, Kyouya. C-c-c-calm down. I was just protecting Haruhi," muttered Tamaki from the floor.

Kyouya's know-it-all smirk danced on his lips and he looked Allyn in the eyes."Allyn hasn't told anyone. Right?"

"Oh no! I know she has some kind of debt or something, so I could never do that to her," Allyn's hands waved defensively in front of her and a nervous giggle escaped from her mouth.

"See, Tamaki? There's no reason _at all _for you to touch her."

_I never knew he was the type to get jealous. _

Allyn's thoughts flickered nervously to every weekend she'd spent in Japan. After a month of no social life that first year at Ouran, she'd managed to find a dance studio within walking distance of her apartment. It was no where near Ouran and all of the members attended different public schools, so there was no chance of anyone running in to her there, but what if Kyouya found out? Would he be mad at her for keeping it a secret? Surely after watching any number of routines she'd choreographed, be it hip hop or fox trot, Kyouya would be furious with the way the male dancers touched her. Even if it _was _just dancing.

Allyn was able to attend Ouran because of her singing voice and dance abilities, so it was only natural for her to keep up her training while she stayed in Japan. Plus, when she was preforming it felt like all of her stupid insecurities disappeared. If she closed her eyes and just felt the music coursing through her veins, she didn't have to be black or white or asian. Her hips weren't big or small and she wasn't rich or poor. She was entertainment. She was music. Her body twisted and leaped along like music notes on a staff. Her voice floated like honey through the room and mingled along with guitars or pianos, detaching itself from her flawed body. She made a few good friends at the studio and Saturday nights became a sort of mini vacation for her these past two years. Granted, Allyn never saw these friends anywhere other than the studio, but the time she spent with them was enough. They became her adopted dance family while she was away from her regular studio in New York. They watched choreography videos from her old instructor back home and spent weeks learning them together before making a video to send back. Most of the time it was just for their enjoyment, but on rare occasions they all piled into a charter bus and drove across town to put on a flash mob performance. Allyn used to _live _for those performances The rush of adrenaline coursing through her. The warmth she felt after making so many total strangers smile with her gifts.

But that was before she met Kyouya. Now the two fought for the biggest space in her heart. Allyn knew she could have both if she just told Kyouya about it all. He searched tirelessly for weeks after meeting Allyn for the specific scholarship she'd attained before finally giving up and assuming it was the same one as Haruhi. Allyn knew it was bugging him not to be sure, but she didn't know if she wanted to give that part of herself away yet. The satisfaction she gained after teaching one of the younger kids a new move or new song was the only thing that made her feel like she was worth something in Japan. If the host club found out about it...she just didn't know what would happen. Would they scoff at her amateur skills? Would they laugh at the hard hitting krump and hip hop moves she'd spent so many years perfecting? Growing up in a million dollar mansion probably meant they got million dollar entertainment as well. The world's finest dancers could have preformed at their birthday parties or company dinners, making Allyn's silly flash mobs seem like a kindergarten recital. _No, _she decided. _They can't find out. _ Allyn resolved to skip a few practices if it meant she could keep her two worlds separate And if she had to cancel on a few dates here and there to teach a ballet class or two, Kyouya wouldn't be mad. They spent practically all of their time together anyway, what were a few Saturday nights away from each other?

* * *

"Five, six, seven, eight!"

The oldest group was getting better and better every week. At first, Allyn felt weird teaching kids her own age, but it was fun. They got to bounce ideas off of each other when productivity got a little slow. Adake was by far the best at iso's and it really showed in this routine. Some of the littler kids often mistaked him for a real robot when he joined the studio. His thick, dark hair was shaved off on one side and messily streaked with bright blue. Although he was tall and lanky, years of dancing had toned his muscles quite nicely. Yuki and Kagome weren't trained in hip hop, but they sure loved preforming it. They were full time ballet dancers and part-time street performers Yuki's dark auburn hair danced wildly around her every time she whipped her head to the beat. Long, toned legs hid beneath the baggy fabric of both girls' sweat pants. Kagome's vivacious brown hair was tied back into a sloppy bun, leaving her beautifully structured face in full view.

Allyn surveyed the talented trio while they moved together. Each person maintained their own style, while still preforming the routine as one. _How did I manage to find such talented people? _They were all taking singing lessons as well, just to be well rounded, but none of them were really born with a gift. Still, if they worked hard enough and really wanted it, they could kick ass on a stage.

"So?" Adake asked. His chest was heaving and his hair was askew. "Do you think your instructor back home would approve?"

"Yeah! You guys did great, as per usual," Allyn gave them all hugs, despite how sweaty they were. She was probably still a little gross from spending the last half hour teaching them the routine.

"Good!" Yuki chirped. "Then, get over here so we can do the whole thing together and film it for him."

Kagome jogged to the other side of the room. "I'll set up the camera!"

"Don't drop it this time!" Adake teased.

"Will I _ever _be able to touch a camera again without you saying that?"

Bass bumped from the speaker as they all settled into place. Allyn was in front with Adake and Yuki and Kagome stood diagonally behind them. Nicki Minaj said her first few words and they were off. Allyn's chest tightened while she did her best to imitate the robotic moves her instructor had done. Sneakers squeaked on the linoleum flooring. Allyn didn't even have to look in the long mirror to know she was doing well-she could feel it. She could feel the music taking over her body and guiding her limbs along. She could sense her friends dancing beside her and used their energy to fuel her own. She hit moves harder, lifted her legs higher, and ducked down lower than her instructor had. She became his choreography. Her sole purpose for that minute and a half was to entertain, to put on a show.

"Woohoo!" cheered Yuki. They all gathered around Allyn and held her tight, jumping up and down. "That was amazing, Allyn! I know I've said it a million times already, but you are the best thing to ever happen to this studio!"

"Oh, don't say that," Allyn chuckled. "You guys were already great before I came."

Adake squeezed her one last time and kissed her cheek. "You've got to stop being so modest, girl. When we preformed for Takahashi last month, he said he couldn't take his eyes off you."

"How is your new boy toy, Adake? Are you guys still gonna go to the beach this next week?" Kagome slung her duffle bag over her shoulder and was making her way to the door.

Adake's face lit up. "He's doing fine, thanks. And it's funny you brought that beach thing up; we were wondering if you three wanted to come with us? His parent's beach house has a lot of empty rooms, and they didn't want them to go to waste."

"I'd love to go!" Yuki jumped up and down excitedly, showing no signs of fatigue from the complicated routine they just went through. "Please say you'll come, Allyn! We never get to see you outside of dance class."

_That's because I'm living two different lives right now, _Allyn wanted to shout. Keeping her school life and weekend life separate was becoming increasingly difficult as she and the Host Club got closer. The twins kept trying to visit her apartment and Hunny-sempai wouldn't stop talking about some cute little cake shop he'd heard about downtown. Allyn knew exactly what shop he meant, and she also knew that it was right next to her studio. The chances of the Hosts running into her dance friends were way too high for her liking, so every time he brought it up, she politely declined. Kyouya was also getting more curious about her weekly disappearances If it were up to him, they would spend every Saturday together as well as all of the tutoring sessions, and her maid shifts at his house. Although Allyn couldn't understand _why _anyone as rich and handsome as him would want to spend that much time around her, she could understand where he was coming from. Spending time together while they were at school or while she was working was always tainted by the fact that they couldn't really _be_ together. Sure they were in the same room, and behind the doors of Kyouya's room, they could steal the occasional kiss, but it was always laced with an unsettling paranoia. Would the Hosts notice that they were being a little too affectionate over sheets of math review? Would one of Kyouya's brothers walk in unannounced while they were engaged in a giggly tickling match? Questions like that really put a damper on the fun of young love they were supposed to be experiencing. So even though Allyn would love nothing more than to answer with _'Yeah, and while we're at it, I'll invite over my friends from school and my boyfriend so you guys can all finally meet each other!'_, she declined their invitation instead.

"I'd really love to, but I the teachers at Ouran really like to pile on the homework when we have school breaks."

Kagome rolled her hazel eyes distastefully. "I'll never understand how you manage to go to school with those rich freaks. You know you're probably the only one there that actually works, right?"

"Kagome..." Adake warned.

"What? I'm just saying those kids are so rich and spoiled, they probably pay other people to keep their grades up for them. It's not fair for Allyn."

Yuki put her hand gently on Kagome's shoulder's and started steering her to their cars. "Well, we'll text you or something while we're out there, Allyn. See you next week!"

"And don't forget to tell us what your instructor thinks of our performance!" Adake shouted over his shoulder.

"Will do!"

The walk back to Allyn's apartment building was chilly, but the wind felt good on her warm skin. When she looked at the stars, it was almost like she was a different person. The adrenaline from dancing pumped quickly through her veins, making Allyn feel like she was on top of the world.

**This chapter is kind of dedicated to xXStormy-chanXx because she messaged me yesterday, asking if I was ever going to post another chapter. She said she really like the story and she hadn't given up on it yet. **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Yeah...I'm sorry. So many things happened over the past few months that each time i tried to finish this chapter, I'd be too tired to even proofread. But on the bright side, I got a boyfriend so I can actually write about kissing without just guessing lol. A few of you mentioned that you could see a lot of yourself in Allyn and that's great! I'm not a dancer, but I love watching people dance, so if you want to PM me with some tips on how to write about dancing or send me a video of some choreography you'd like to be included in the story, feel free to do so! Any and all criticism is welcome. **

The beach.

A beach means water.

And water means swimsuits.

Allyn looked at her body in the mirror. Her bikini top seemed ready to snap and her board-short bottoms were crinkly and parachute-like. It was either this yellow nightmare, or her one piece. Allyn twirled once twice, three more times, never taking her eyes off of her reflection. This swimsuit hid her bottom really well, but the top had gotten so _small._

The twins had hundreds of old swimsuits scattered about the club room today, but those were for Haruhi. Allyn could never ask for one. Especially since she didn't have the money to pay for a designer as famous as their mother. Haruhi was so lucky to just have these things thrown at her, but she still refused them. She even acted irritated about the whole thing.

_If we could switch places for even _one _day, _Allyn thought with a dejected sigh. She flopped down onto her twin bed and wiggled around a bit to test the security of her top. It stayed put, but she was still wary of how small it had gotten since last summer.

She tried on the monokini instead. It wasn't as bad. Plain black with a medium sized hole on each side. Less revealing and more secure.

_But will he like it? _

It would have been _so _much easier if she'd gone with Adake to the beach, but now it was too late. They were piled in a van, driving miles away in the opposite direction and she was stuck here. Kagome's harsh words rattled around Allyn's head.

"_Rich freaks"._

"_You're the only one that actually works."_

"_It's not fair to Allyn."_

_It isn't fair is it?_

Allyn sat up abruptly. Black spots clouded her vision and he head pounded. She looked around the room with disgust.

Homework and forgotten tests were trashed and scattered around her small bedroom. Clothes were _everywhere. _Since Allyn started dating Kyouya, this is what her life had become.

A mess.

She spent more time standing in front of her mirror-_crying _in front of her mirror-than she ever had before. Of course living in Japan for the better part of two years made her feel like crap. There was never anyone around that she could really relate to. She had almost zero friends. Her math grades were atrocious. But she just felt _better _than she did now. More at ease. Less stressed. The Host Club changed her.

Kyouya gave her a reason to care even more than she did when she first arrived. Not only did Allyn have to worry about her looks and grades, but now she had to worry about keeping him happy. She had to say the right thing, wear the right thing, stay interesting. Kyouya Ootori has the perfect life and he invited her into it. How in the world did he expect her to keep up with him?

What if they all go out to a group dinner and decide to split the bill? What if all the other hosts are paying their fair share for this beach trip and Allyn will end up looking embarrassed and in debt?

_Why do I need to worry about these things now? _

_For some _boy_?_

There were thousands of boys in New York living on the same budget as Allyn who wouldn't expect her to pay for private beach hotels or fly out to Venice for pasta at the drop of a hat. Why wasn't she with them instead of freaking out over a rich kid?

It's because the Host Club has changed her for better and for worse.

The past month and a half was the best time she'd ever had in Japan. Allyn was texting, calling, _laughing _with friends.

_Friends._

Not the ones that were stuck behind a computer screen, thousands of miles across the globe. Friends that cared about her enough to invite her to go places. Friends that cared about her enough to fall in love with her.

_Love? Did I really just think that?_

Kyouya meant the world to Allyn right now, but did she really…'_love'_ him?

Yes. Yes she did.

_But does he love me?_

"Now you're _sure _this isn't too forward, Kyouya?" Tamaki paced back and forth across Kyouya's bedroom. He clutched his elbow in one hand and had the other in front of his mouth, biting his thumbnail. "Is it really _appropriate_ for a father to see his daughter so scantily clad? Can't we keep her out of the ocean and in some shorts and a sweatshirt like she was at the park?"

For the past half hour Kyouya sat patiently under the kotatsu while Tamaki went through each and every reason(both reasonable and unreasonable) why they had to cancel the beach trip. Haruhi might get sunburned, she might get kidnapped, a hurricane is sure to hit the coast if Haruhi goes into the water. Tamaki could be downright exhausting sometimes.

"If you're that paranoid, invite the girls along. Haruhi won't be able to wear a swimsuit then," Kyouya didn't look up from his work when he spoke. Bringing the girls would add a sizeable amount to the vacation bill, but the money he would make from selling beach photo albums and reserving private time with the king should cover it.

"That's a great idea, Kyouya! With the princesses there, those shady twins can't force her into a bathing suit," Tamaki dance around the room and plopped down next to Kyouya. "But what about Allyn?"

Kyouya stopped typing. "What about her?"

"Well, she's my little sister! You think it's OK for her to prance around in a few pieces of cloth and string? I won't stand for it!"

_Sister? When did he start that up? _Kyouya vaguely recalled Tamaki being a little protective of Allyn when the twins started messing with her, but his focus was almost always on Haruhi. How will Tamaki react if he finds out about Kyouya and Allyn's relationship if he won't even let the twins see her in a bathing suit?

"Allyn is a sensible girl," Kyouya spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully and gauging Tamaki's reaction. "She wouldn't wear anything a proper young lady wouldn't. There is no need to worry."

That seemed to calm him down enough. "Well, if you say so, Kyouya. Now what are we going to do about sleeping arrangements? As her father, I think it's only fair for Haruhi to sleep with me in my room. Allyn needs the room next to mine so I can hear any attackers at her door…" Tamaki continued on like that for the rest of the night, changing and rearranging everyone's rooms until he finally circled back to Kyouya's original plan.

Kyouya tried to focus on his work, but that rambling goof got Allyn back on his mind. Just the thought of her voice made him want to close his eyes and dream of her forever. He could feel her curls dancing around his hands while they kissed. The arch of her back beneath his hands. Her lips, so shy and tentative, forming a perfect smile. Kyouya lay down for bed that night and imagined those lips speaking the three words he longed to hear.


End file.
